As I have been sitting with my thoughts about Christmas, Jesus coming as a baby and listening to Dean preach about Infinite Hope, I am running through the details of my life.

Jesus coming as a baby was for a purpose, right? He wasn’t born just to be born. The purpose, the end game, of Jesus coming was for Him to die to save me from my sin, so I can live with Him in Heaven, and to free me from shame and captivity here on earth.

I don’t think I’m alone in that I tend to look at the back side of my life and all I see is a tangled mess of knots of threads that represent all the missteps, straight-up failures and sin. While they are still a part of my story and the combined experiences have helped create who I am and where I am, they are not the whole story. There is a another side.

If I turned it over or got a different perspective, the side that has all the colors and shapes where they should be to create a beautiful tapestry displaying my life covered by God’s grace and love.

So, I am recounting all the areas that Jesus, by His love and death, has transformed in my life. I could make a long list, but it would not even touch all the ways He has changed me. As I shared those things, you would see dark colors as I walked through hurt and devastating times. They would turn to bright colors as I walked through healing, changing my thoughts and patterns in my life. You would see moments of joy burst through like the sun spread out through my life.

It’s the beautiful details that God weaves into my story that has me in awe of Him this Christmas.

If all we focus is the tangled mess, we will miss the beautiful picture God is creating. Let’s not let our past take our focus away from our now. Our past, our failures are not the end of our story. They are not only things to define us.

God promises us that we are made new.

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ
has become a new person.
The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

We are not stuck with just the tangled mess of our lives, we have hope that He is in control and will work everything out for our good and His glory.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together
for the good of those who love God and are called
according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28

And that promise has me very grateful this Christmas.

The Hope that came into the world that day was for me. And you. And everyone trying to hide the mess of knots of their lives.

In case no one told you today, you’re life ~ although not perfect ~ is a beautiful tapestry displaying God’s faithfulness, grace, mercy, love, protection, provision and the list goes on.

As we gather with friends and family, in our homes and churches, sharing traditions and stories, let’s take a moment and be grateful for the beautiful picture our lives are. AND it’s not done being added to. We have a lot of life to live and I am so grateful for you being a part of mine.

This Christmas, as I celebrate the birth of Jesus, I will be thankful to Him for walking out the long game of my salvation and transformation.
I hope you have an amazing Christmas!!!

All My Love ~
xo Jodi

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