A Christmas Story

Finishing my Christmas decorating a couple of weeks ago, I pulled out my treasured Nativity set and started to unwrap the figurines, absently listening to my husband and son, Greg, talk. As I unwrapped each piece, I set it on an occasional table holding a small Christmas tree, intending to place them on the mantle when I finished.

"That looks good, Mom," Greg said, and our grandson, Adam, agreed with him. I started to say I was going to move them, but then I realized how pretty they looked under the green branches with beads draped in scallops above them. It lent a touch of royalty to the scene of regal wise men offering their precious gifts to the newborn King, so I decided to leave them there. The tiny white lights reminded me of stars in that holy night sky.

But when it was time to unplug the lights from their extension cord, my hand bumped the tallest wise man, knocking it over onto the table ledge, and off went his head! I found it under an ottoman and hoped it could be glued back on. A couple nights later, another wise man lost his head! This time it was not so easy to re-align the head to the shoulders! After much wasted gluing effort, I put them away with what pieces I could find.

"How are you at gluing?" I asked my grandson next time they were over. He looked a little skeptical, but said he would take the figurines home and work on them. Last night Greg showed me that he had finished one of them. It's back under the tree, the imperfections covered by a mini-scarf around the neck. The other one is still a work in progress. I solved the problem of unplugging the lights by just leaving them on!

This little incident reminded me of people who are broken and sometimes cast aside by the world. But if they meet and accept Jesus, who is not a babe in a manger anymore, but One Who makes whole, they can be restored. Though they may have scars, cracks and imperfections, these are covered by the love of Jesus, just as his blood covers their sins. And what better time to come to Him than at Christmas? The lights are still on! He never unplugs them, for the light of His love shines forever, even for us who are still a work in progress!