I have an ugly confession to make: I believe that I deserve better.

Better what, you ask? Well … let’s start with:

• A husband who is always patient, sensitive, and blind to any and all flaws in my character.
• Children who enjoy being obedient and respectful and are overcome with gratitude that I am their mother.
• A van (no, make that a sedan) that is washed, vacuumed, and that always has a full tank, just because I am so loved.

I am frightened by how long this list could be if I kept going! However, this Christmas season, a thought keeps interrupting me: Did Jesus get what he deserved from His life on earth? Did He not deserve infinitely better than:

• Being born in a manure-scented stable.
• Experiencing rejection by His own people and closest friends.
• Death by the most painful and shameful method even though He was sinless.

Jesus deserved all the luxury, adoration, and power from this world He created. But He was here on a rescue mission, not a pleasure cruise. “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” (Philippians 2:6-7)

WHY? “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Yes, I long for the perfection of our ancestral Eden home, but since original sin closed its doors and entered my heart, I realize that I don’t deserve better. The harsh reality is that my sin deserves the wrath of a holy God (linger on this truth). That is what I really deserve, but since receiving The Gift born in Bethlehem, I am given salvation, redemption, and eternal life (linger LONGER on this one)! My “what I deserve” list is petty and selfish compared to my “what I’ve been given” list. What more could I ever ask for?

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Merry Christmas!