Well, all, we made it! Another Christmas is nearly here. The tree is up, presents are wrapped, plans are made with family, carols are playing and all is peace-on-earth and happy holidays. Right? Or, maybe not. I'll be honest, as things go I'm actually rather content with where we are finishing 2021 and thankful for the past blessings and future promise that the year to come holds. But if you're anything like me, even in this beautiful season we know that all is not as it should be. On top of the general physical and emotional stress of the past two crazy years we are brokenhearted over sickness, friends suffering trauma and losses, political bickering, broken relationships, and assorted other reminders that life can be really hard.
It seems to me that the sorrow of these hard realities is actually a good backdrop for seeing just how glorious the Christmas season is. Christmas is the story of One who came from utter joy and peace to step into our hurting, dark, and broken world. He brings the hope that we so desperately need to make it through the hard times, and is full of compassion for us, as one who has experienced our sorrows himself.
I've recently seen statistics on how our society has record-low levels of Biblical literacy. Basically, fewer and fewer people know even the storyline of the Bible. This makes me sad, as I've found that knowing this story brings so much more depth, understanding, and encouragement to the things I face on life's journey. Specifically for the Christmas story, there is SO much more to the story than a manger, a star, and some shepherds. There are promises, and prophecies, and family drama, and kingdoms that rise and fall and so much of the chaos that we see in our own lives all of which lead up to the ultimate gift of a baby born to restore justice and order. There are many beautiful truths wrapped up in it all and I've been pondering how to make these more real and accessible for others. I don't quite know the answer, but in the meantime if you want to hear a really, really good story about a love that wouldn't leave us to our own messes you know where to find us :)
Here at All the King's Horses, we plan to celebrate Christmas with a few family celebrations and hopefully some time to get out and spoil some ponies. We're grateful for the new friends we've made and the lessons we've learned in 2021 and look forward to improving our program and sharing more beautiful critters with the world in the year to come. Merry Christmas to all!
