Here is a poem I wrote today for our Christmas Eve service at the Deer Run Church of Christ.
There’s a Reason For It All
The day had been long and our journey not done.
We had traveled so far in the hot blazing sun.
We talked on the way of the hardship this brought.
To obey the governor and do what we ought.
It has to get better, we each said out loud.
But we never expected the size of the crowd.
We went house to house, and knocked door to door.
Yet no one had space, not even a floor.
The constant rejection made us want to bawl.
Yet a small, quiet voice said, “There’s a reason for it all.”
We checked every guest room throughout the whole town.
Thinking, since God is in us He won’t let us down.
Yet our positive nature began to wear thin.
When all that we heard was no room in the inn.
We turned to each other and then turned to God.
And said all this rejection does surely seem odd.
We’ve listened intently and done what is right.
So why are we finding no place for the night?
In the midst of our turmoil, we heard a still call.
Keep on believing, there’s a reason for it all.
With our options exhausted there was nothing to do.
But to bed down in a stable that smelled like a zoo.
At least it was something that would do for the night.
Until we could find better when the day brought its light.
Before that could happen, the time did soon come.
We delivered a baby, a beautiful son.
He must be kept warm and protected from danger.
So he was wrapped up in cloths and placed in a manger.
We had wanted much better, but were so much in awe.
We again heard that voice, “There’s a reason for it all.”
Before the night finished, some visitors dropped by.
With a story of angels they had seen in the sky.
While watching their sheep on a hillside at night.
They had been quite startled by a heavenly light.
An angel appeared with a message to them.
A savior was born right there in Bethlehem.
And each little detail of their story that day.
Were things we had wanted to be different some way.
As they left our presence, we stood straight and tall.
Knowing in everything, there’s a reason for it all!
I suspect that you’ve been there, perhaps on this day.
The plans that you wanted, haven’t all gone your way.
From one roadblock to another, frustration does grow.
Disappointment and sorrow seem to be all that you know.
In all of those moments, there’s just one thing to do.
Remember God is in charge, definitely not you.
He sees everything clearly, from His view above.
And works it together from the heart of His love.
So, when you are tired and think you will fall.
Fix your eyes on Jesus, the reason for it all!
As I reflected on the birth of Jesus and the hardships that were experienced by Mary and Joseph in the nativity narrative, I wondered if they ever questioned why the details seemed to not line up in perfect fashion from a human point of view. It is relatively easy for us to look back through time and see there was a reason for it all — that each of the unconventional details of the birth of Jesus came about as a fulfillment of scripture. Many times in our life narrative, we struggle with knowing and understanding God’s purposes for us and the things we go through. My prayer is that we would realize that God doesn’t waste our experiences and that when we trust Him we can know there really is a reason for it all — even if we never fully understand that reason.
In prayer,
Tom
Tom's Treasure 