The Empty Stocking

It is Christmas Day! All of the gifts have been carefully wrapped and are under the tree. Stockings have been hung from the chimney with care.....full of lots of goodies for the little ones who will awake and dig into them with eagerness. All is joyful and seems quite perfect, except for the empty stocking.

The day is celebrated in honor of the Christ child who was born in Bethlehem two thousand years ago. The announcement was made first to the poorest of poor.....the homeless.....the shepherds. A choir of angels brought the message themselves with heavenly singing. The shepherds, who were looked down upon with disgust by the wealthy, must have been overwhelmed by the sight and honored to have been picked as the audience for the phenomenal spectacle.

The King could have been born in a palace as He deserved and born into a royal family. However, He selected humble and meager beginnings. He was born to a young unknown girl, a man of trade, and in a cave. Baby Jesus' first bed was a manger: a feeding trough for animals.

His purpose for coming to earth was to die for a people who deserve death.....people who turn their backs on the Creator of the Universe and choose their own way over His.....people who know the right way to live, but choose to take another path.....the selfish, the cheats, the liars,
the adulterers, the criminals, and the murderers. He disrobed Himself of glory to come to earth as a simple child, to live a sinless life and then willingly take the sins of the world upon Himself. He became my substitute....He died in my place. He became your substitute....He died in your place, too.

The empty stocking belongs to Him.

May I suggest we take a few minutes in quiet solitude to consider what gifts He might want to find in His stocking, and then determine to fill it? Let's recall the effort we have expended to locate the perfect gifts for family and friends; now let's use that same purposeful energy to find the perfect gift for our King of King and Lord of Lords.....our Father....the Lover of our Souls.

If you feel inclined, in the comment section below, write a word(s) denoting the gift you will give. You can simply choose anonymous and do not have to leave a name. I think we will all be blessed to look at the list of gifts each of us is presenting to our Lord and Savior.

Merry Christmas to you and many thanks to all who were a part of helping raise the international fee that will allow us to adopt Darya (Amy Joy) next year. That little brown eyed orphan girl has been given a wonderful miracle; she has been given the gift of life. Right now she is in an orphange...humble beginning.....but will be brought to America, given a family, and will soon be a little queen. How does it feel to be a part of a miracle???

"And His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Ever-Lasting Father, Prince of Peace!"