Send to Kindleby James Collins
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Over the years, my wife, Amanda, and I have amassed a collection of Christmas Nativity sets. At the beginning of each Christmas season, we pull boxes out of storage and decorate the house. One of our sets is just a little more special than the others – the first one that I purchased for Amanda on our first Christmas as husband and wife.
This past year, I changed jobs and we had to move. One of the Wise Men figures in our special Nativity was broken in the move. When we brought the box out, we were sad to find the broken Wise Man. Somehow, the piece had been broken into two pieces. He was split in half.
At first, I thought about replacing him. I searched eBay and found a new one for a cost of fifty dollars. Fifty bucks is a lot of money and I’m cheap. I am so cheap, for example, that when Amanda once asked for diamonds for our anniversary, I gave her two of them… the eight and the queen.
Anyway, since I didn’t want to spend that much money, I decided to glue the Wise Man back together. The results were less than perfect. The glue held fine. However, there was an obvious defect. His paint had chipped away in the break. The Wise Man now had a crack running right through his midsection. He appeared scarred and flawed.
I placed the Wise Man into the scene next to his two companions. The three were bowed in homage facing the newborn Christ Child. I looked at Amanda expecting a frown. Instead, she smiled and said, “I love it. It’s perfect because we are all broken people.”
The point is: There is much wisdom in my wife’s words. We are all broken people. But God loves broken people.
Today, if you will turn from your sins, turn to Jesus, and ask for forgiveness, God will fix your brokenness. That is why Jesus was born. God loves you so much that He sent His Son. If you will put your faith and trust in Him, you will have life abundantly and eternally.
When I look at the broken Wise Man, I am reminded of God’s great love for me. He fixed my brokenness. He can fix you too.
That’s what Christmas is all about…
James Collins is pastor, columnist, and author. You can write to him by email at james@thepointis.net.