I stayed up late again to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie, ignoring the pile of dishes that had crawled from the sink to the counters. So this morning I greet the sunrise from my sink. As my soapy hands wash crusted remains of last night’s dinner, I long to shelve my to-do lists and focus on the joy of Christmas. ⠀ ⠀ And in this plain moment, as I rinse my dishes, God meets me. ⠀ ⠀ Just like that first Christmas, He appears in a most unexpected place. A cold, filthy stable. An unappealing, greasy sink. And just like that first Christmas, He comes in the middle of a "must do." A census. A kitchen.⠀ ⠀ The mundane becomes holy. ⠀ ⠀ As I scrape and scour a saucepan, I glimpse His divine weaving together of moments: The communion I enjoy this dark morning, over suds and gunk, is built on that miraculous night—after Mary and Joseph journeyed long, an innkeeper made room, and shepherds came to adore. God can meet me in my dirty kitchen mess today because He sent His son to a dirty stable then. ⠀ ⠀ This moment with God at my sink bridges then to now—bringing the beloved story of Jesus’ birth into my to-do list moments. So much dirt, so many musts intersect over my sink, scrubbing and making clean not just my actual dirty dishes, but also my own spiritual dirt. ⠀ ⠀ When my sink is drudgery, I haven’t looked for Him.⠀ ⠀ When my gift wrapping and shopping become a chore, I haven’t made room.⠀ ⠀ When the festivities and fa-la-las feel like too much, I haven’t invited Him in.⠀ ⠀ I don’t have to wait to step into the season’s joy until after my lists are checked off and put away. Because today, when I made room in the musts, the mundane became holy. ⠀ ⠀ Because Emmanuel. ⠀ Because He is with us. ⠀ Still. ⠀ ⠀ His relentless, faithful Presence rests on me anew as my sink gleams. Read the rest at The Joyful Life Magazine.
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