The Reason for the Season

I read this editorial in our local news paper. I know it's long but it is well worth it.
-Jeni

There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays.

His wife, however, did believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments.

One snowy Eve, his wife was taking their children to service in the farm community in which they lived. They were to talk about Jesus' birth. She asked him to come, but he refused. "That story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That's ridiculous!

So she and the children left, and he stayed home. A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. He looked out, but couldn't see more tan a few feet. When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window. In the filed near his house he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed.
The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside.

But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. THe man tried to get their attention, bu that just seemed to scare them, and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a breadcrumb trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on. Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn.

Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe. "Why don't they follow me?!" he exclaimed. "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?"

He thought for a moment for and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human. "If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud. Then he had an idea. He went into the barn, got one fo his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese.

He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn-- and one-by--one, the other geese followed it to safety. He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!" THen he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. WHy would God want to be like us? That's ridiculous!"

Suddenly it all made sense. That is what GOd had done. We were like the geese-- blind, lost, perishing. GOd had his Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us/
As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul because quiet and pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly he understood why Christ had come. Years of doubt and disbelief vanished with the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer:

"Thank You, GOd, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm."

I think this article is amazing, especially considering the fact that it was printed in a secular magazine. But there is one thing that the editor did not touch upon. The fact that Jesus went through the most excruciating and humiliating death known to man. And why would He do that? For us.
Read this verse:
"... looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews12:2

The joy set before Him... what was that joy? Something so strong that he went through the shame and pain. Shame that He despised. It was the chance to have a relationship with you and with me.

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." -Jesus (John 15:13)


"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." -Jesus (John 14:6)

I pray that we would all grow closer to Jesus. That we would know the extent of His love towards us. And for those who don't know Him in a personal way, I pray that now is the time. If all you see is a storm when you look at your life, He is waiting to bring you to the safety of His love and peace.


Merry CHRISTmas!!!