First Baptist Church of Herndon

The Nature of Things

Linda Soller | Dec 20, 2021

It’s the time of year when most of us are running around like crazy trying to prepare for the festivities of Christmas. That is until we hear or read about, or worse yet experience, a catastrophic event of nature. It might involve tornados, floods, fires, even winter storms. The specifics may vary but the devastation is often similar. Loved ones are lost and possessions vanish. We morn the losses. Those of us on the outside looking in struggle to see how we can help. While others whether by choice or profession jump right in and support those who have lost so much. A friend said to me, those who survive such natural disasters lose themselves to a point. That is true because for many we feel our very nature is reflected in our things. Our jobs, our homes, our possessions speak to who we are and what we value. 

We pray for those who are lost and those who are left behind to rebuild. We pray for those who work tirelessly to help mend the gaping wounds on the community of people who survived. Wounds that will doubtless leave scares. And then as though the earth is trying to say I’m sorry, the sun rises, the winds die down, the embers die out, the waters return to their banks, and the soft blanket of snow silences the roar of our busy lives. Our prayers unintentionally trail off as we are distracted by new concerns. The nature of things appears on the surface to go back to “normal”.

He had been promised. He was fulfilling the prophesies of old. A small baby was born into a world that struggled to find love. In His world some people had much, and others had nothing, but all had waited for His arrival with expectations of something much bigger and grander than a tiny baby born into a poor family. What He gave to the world could not be wrapped in a box or placed under a tree. His nature was all love and caring. His gift was grace. His life would impact the damaged world and bring hope. The nature of things would be forever changed because He was born.

Be the love in the world! :o)