we got ours seven years ago. among all the wedding gifts we got, i was looking most forward to getting our Nativity Scene- we had very few Christmas decorations and the Nativity Scene is the most important. i am also a big sap when it comes to family traditions.
i remember clearing a space on a bookshelf as hubby carefully opened the big Fontanini box on Christmas day. we set out the stable, because there was no room at the inn. next out of the box was Mary, gazing downward. and then Joseph, with his staff in hand. the two angels came out of the box next, each holding a holy instrument. and i looked in the box...i shook it upside down...no Baby Jesus. no manger.
i panicked.
in all this unwrapping and setting out of 5-inch nativity figurines there were wads of tissue paper, bubble wrap, plastic wrap, and smaller cardboard boxes, all were being tossed in the garbage as we unpacked. the same garbage with last night's dinner and this morning's breakfast remains. i dove in.
it struck me as symbolic then and it still does today, that, at Christmastime, i was digging through the trash for Jesus.
how could i possibly gripe about rummaging through cold spaghetti noodles, snotty Kleenexes, toast crusts, and slimy tin cans looking for Jesus when He died for me?
and isn't it just like Jesus to remind me that there is a lot of garbage in the world, especially at Christmas, but the real truth is in knowing HIM?
i dug through every trashcan in the house and the bags at the curb. i called Fontanini customer service. i got a replacement piece. and then i found my Baby Jesus. {so yes, now i have two Baby Jesus's.}
dig through the trash for Jesus.
find Him.
know Him.
celebrate Him.
praise Him.
He is the reason for this season, and every season hereafter.
[photo credits: Nativity Silhouette by That Artist Woman, Fontanini Baby Jesus from ChristmasNightInc, HappyBirthdayJesus from LikeMindedStudio.com]
