DAY 2 - Quiet PLEASE!!!

Things seem so noisy at this point in the year to me... especially these last couple days before Christmas.  Traffic is at an all time high with road rage lingering just below the surface.  Stop in the mall and it's a mob scene.  Clerks are tired.  People are tired.  Did I remember this?? How could I have forgotten that??  Bring another appetizer?? Sure... love to.  Perky Christmas music blaring above it all.

Noise.
Internal and external noise.
I don't always do well with noise.
I prefer peace.

Silent Night.... Holy Night... All is calm... All is bright...

Our Bible stories have always painted Christ's birth as such a peaceful event.  Smiling baby lying on a bed of clean straw... radiant beams glowing about.

Do YOU think it was like that?? Ever ponder that scenario??

I remember when I was 9 months pregnant.  Wow.  Sore.  Tired of luggin' that belly around.  Swollen.  I can't even imagine ANYONE telling me I had to sit on a donkey for how many miles??? and for what... legal paperwork???  Then finally get to my destination and go from place to place looking for a room only to have Joseph come back and say over and over again "Sorry, honey... no room".

Okay, finally we found one room.  A stable out back.  Ever seen one??  Not like in the story books.  Basically it's a rock cave.  Bat poo hanging from the ceiling.  Damp.  Unfathomable stench.  Sure, Mary... let's have the baby here.  But where to lay him??  Oh, right here in this carved out chunk of rock the animals have been slobbering all over.  That'll have to do.  Hey you, Mr. Cow over there... keep it down, will ya!!

WHAT??

Silent Night... Holy Night... All is calm.... 

Do YOU think that sounds like a calm situation??  I wasn't there, so I certainly don't claim to know.  But let me just say I-Think-NOT!!!  To me, that sounds like a whole lotta NOISE!!

I find it beautiful.  Our Saviour wasn't born in a pristine setting with servants to keep everything quiet and orderly.  Nope.  The Prince of Peace was born into NOISE!!!  I love it.  I thank Him for it.  Do you see the beauty in that??      

DAY 2:  Pray with me.  "Thank you, Jesus.  Because YOU were born in the midst of a noisy world... you can bring peace to MY noisy world.  Come into it."