I know the theology. Jesus wasn’t born December 25th. The wisemen weren’t at the birth. Jesus wasn’t born in a barn. We’ve taken (literally taken) a random holiday, added in random details and sold it as a storybook truth to a world weary and desperate for hope far beyond that kind. And then we have the audacity to complain when someone confronts us with the facts or hurts our feelings with a red cup. The true meaning of Christmas is that in this broken, messy, devastated world, Jesus stepped in. The desperate, aching, lonely, painful existence you’re in right now- He came to make all those sad things untrue. And when people sell the “Keep Christ in Christmas!” War, they’re only perpetuating the alienation of a world of people desperate for that thrill of hope. So we’ll take a day tomorrow to celebrate that coming- that stepping into suffering- not because of a stable or a date or even a story, but because of a God who answers us when we cry out in anguish, comforts us in the midst of our pain, and continues to fight to make all sad things untrue.
Foster care is cry-yourself-to-sleep hard. It’s hard when they’re here, and it’s hard when they leave crying your name as “Mommy”. We’ve gotten so many messages of encouragement, and we are thankful for those, but we’ve also gotten so many messages of “someday” and “if only”. Y’all. We have had endless conversations about if our marriage can handle this (maybe not), If our kids can handle this (I don’t know), If our finances can handle this (definitely not). It wasn’t the “right time”, and we have a whole bunch of kids we fiercely love already “to protect”. Daniel works two jobs, I work two PT jobs, and stay home *almost* full time and was a full time grad student. I see your full plate, I raise you ours. And if your last standing excuse is that you simply don’t want to? Or you’re scared? Yeah, me too. My heart sides more with Jonah and desiring comfort than Jesus most days. But God. Your “war on Christmas” bumper sticker isn’t going to be the thrill of hope the weary world rejoices in. It’s going to be Jesus in you that soothes the suffering of this world. And I thought about listing all way besides foster care that you could be that thrill of hope, but then I decided that’s just feeding the fire for your excuses. So I won’t. You probably can handle that yourself. Just realize that what we’re celebrating tomorrow is a man who stepped into suffering with people, not one who avoided it at all costs or waited when all the time was “right”.
“Long lay the world, in sin and error pining, until he appeared, and the soul felt its worth.”
Merry Christmas from the Chappells, as messy and stressed and hard as our reality is sometimes right now, ours souls feel their worth.
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