One of the joys we get to experience this holiday season is the comfort of Christmas. Not comfort in traditions and cozy decorations of our homes but true comfort that erases discomfort; Jesus.
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Christmas is my favourite holiday, for many reasons. Yet one of the hardest parts to accept about the story was the fact that Jesus wasn’t born in a place of comfort! As a mom it makes me cringe thinking about the pain Mary experienced, the fear and anxiety as she gave birth in a stable, among animals.
When I was pregnant with my first we had to travel 2 plus hours away so we could have a proper hospital to accommodate us. Our little town had a health centre but I had potential for complications and they weren’t going to meet my needs should they arise.
So we packed up our truck, drove down south on a lovely sunny wintry day and stayed in a hotel. We ate restaurant food and walked around shopping malls to try and induce labour so we didn’t have to stay away from home for so long.
I was comfortable, as comfortable as possible in our accommodations, but we weren’t at home.
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Mary Was Far From Home
When I read the Christmas story, I always wonder how Mary felt as she walked (or rode) the long road to Bethlehem. She would have been heavily pregnant and uncomfortable. Stopped frequently to pee and stretch her stiff joints, all the while knowing she would be in a foreign place when ready to give birth.
I imagine she must have felt scared, frustrated and exhausted.
But I also wonder what sort of peace God had given her. With the knowledge that she was carrying His Son, the King, would she have felt a small ounce of comfort knowing that they weren’t entirely alone, because God was with them?
The Bible doesn’t say.
If it were me I would have been putting up a stink the entire trip. But maybe Mary had a more demure personality, maybe she accepted things as they came and trusted what God had told her.
I hope so, because where they ended up on that first Christmas was far from home and less than optimal for giving birth. The comfort of Christmas probably hadn’t set in yet.
It Had to Be
But somehow, it had to be that way. Jesus had to be born in a place of discomfort because of who He is!
His birth place is the perfect representation of what our broken world needs. No one else will give us a place of comfort, no one else will make room for us except God.
It doesn’t matter where you celebrate or who you celebrate with, what is important is the peace the holiday has to offer.
Even in the most uncomfortable of settings, we can trust our God of Hope, who sends a saviour to provide rest. We don’t need to be wrapped in warm blankets and sit beside a cozy fire to enjoy the true gift at Christmas because it is in our discomfort that we find the comfort of Christmas; Jesus.
He came into a place of uncertainty, of lowliness and of fear. The stable in which he was born was not a place of refuge for a birthing mother, it was not a place of assurance for a new father but it was a place where those feelings could be removed by the love that was born that day.
Just as Jesus removes the fear and anxiety the world brings to our doorsteps.
The comfort of Christmas is the peace Jesus gives to us!
Comfort of Christmas
Your home at Christmas should be filled with laughter and love, regardless of what is going on in the world. The birthday celebrations we hold in honour of Jesus are more than an annual party, it is a reminder of the most precious gift we could have been given.
Comfort, peace and love.
However you choose to celebrate, let it be a celebration of the heart. A reminder that whatever discomfort you may be experiencing, now is the time to let the Christmas story exchange it with comfort.
Find rest in the joy of this season, because our God is a God of peace.
Set aside the fears and anxiety, hand them to God so you can enjoy the comfort of Christmas.
Check out some of my favourite ideas to make your home a Christmas home centred around Jesus.
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