the best gift

Dirty dishes, piles of laundry, the baby's climbing the stairs...

Wait. The baby's climbing the stairs?!?

Don't judge. You know your second child has the "Just Survive" Syndrome too.

As women, our lives are rarely still and if you're a mom, you can forget quiet. Am I right or am I right? Don't get me wrong. I love the sounds of little voices chattering and the pitter-pattering of tiny feet throughout our house. But every once in a while, I remember for a moment what life was like before two little people needed me 24/7. And for a split second, I miss it. And then I realize I wouldn't trade our chaos for anything! This madness is my life. And it is good.

 Still, Christmas seems to add a whole other level of crazy to the mix. Gifts, parties, decorating, and all the eggnog you can handle, which is none for me because I can't bring myself to drink something cold with the word "egg" in it. Just sayin'...

It's hard to remember during the hustle and bustle that the reason we celebrate is because He came.

He came to a small stable. He came to a young couple that had nothing. But most importantly, He came to save.

He came without fanfare or fireworks to save a tired world without hope. In His humble, gentle way, He came to earth to perform a rescue mission. And while we celebrate that He was born that night in Bethlehem, may we never forget that He is still here.

He is here in the mundane tasks I do without thinking. He's here as I tie his shoes or brush her hair. He's here when I'm sad just as He's here when life is so wonderful that it takes my breath away.

He carries us when we feel like we can't go on, and He dances with us as we celebrate life's unforgettable moments.

He meets us where we are just how we are. Dirty dishes and all.

He came to save. And He stayed. Not in the manger or on the cross, but in our hearts if we let Him. He stayed so that we can have life. And have it more abundantly. So this year, let's celebrate not just that He was born and placed in a manger, but that He stayed.

For you. For me. For us.


And that, my friends, is a gift worth celebrating. Along with the fact that the baby only climbed one stair before being caught.