‘Tis the season for comparing,
Fa la la la la, la la la la…
It seems like this time of year, whether consciously or unconsciously, we are constantly comparing ourselves to others. My Facebook feed is resplendent with beautiful trees, amazing light displays, creative cards, perfect family photos, delicious recipes, clever elves, acts of selfless service, and carefully packed packages… all before the second Sunday of Advent. It’s also full of warnings about the environmental impact of real trees… and fake trees, the dangers of holiday foods to pets, the disparity between a typical middle-class Christmas and the poverty experienced by others around the world, too much Jesus, not enough Jesus, and, ironically enough, warnings to stop listening to all of that and enjoy the season.
It’s exhausting.
And it’s really hard not to get sucked into that game. We’re coming up on the second Sunday in Advent and I have a sink full of dishes, I haven’t cleared a space for the tree, I’m not really sure where our outdoor decorations are, and I’ve only just begun shopping. I haven’t sent Christmas cards in probably 10 years, we haven’t had a family portrait done in probably 6 or 7 years, and we’re going to spoil The Progeny a little bit at Christmas. I’m also going to put outfits on our dogs. My house is messy, I elect not to participate in some traditions, and go over the top for others. This is who I am.
It turns out, Jesus is OK with that.
I am blessed with an opportunity to have a little “me” time every day before work. I have keys, so I arrive early before everyone else and have time to be in a beautiful quiet place and play flute for almost an hour. This time is precious to me, and I feel its absence on the days when I don’t get it. In that time, I play for me and for God. I talk to me and to God. Sometimes I play hymns as part of this time and yesterday I turned to one of my favorites: Just As I Am. I love this hymn. It’s a beautiful song of grace! In a world where the messaging is do more, be more, think more, give more, live more, we need to hear that Jesus saved us Just As We Are. We don’t have to do all the things; we don’t have to be all the things because our creator saved us Just As We Are. Just As I Am is not a Christmas hymn, but maybe it would be a good one to play in there with Silent Night and Joy to the World as a reminder that we celebrate the birth of Jesus because he came to save us Just As We Are.
What beautiful grace!
There’s a flip side to that. While that hymn brings me great comfort because it’s a reminder that Jesus accepts me Just As I Am, it’s also pretty convicting because it reminds me that Jesus accepts everyone else Just As They Are. That’s right. Not only does Jesus know every one of the dark blots on my soul and saved me anyway, he knows the dark blots on everyone else’s souls and saved them, too. So, the guy who cut me off in traffic the other day, the person who took 42 items to the 10 items or fewer line in the grocery store, that student’s parent who yelled at me, that boy in high school who didn’t like me back and laughed at me, that kid who made fun of my kid on the bus. Yep. Jesus saved all of them Just As They Are, too. And I would do well to remember that. There’s no one I’ll meet that Jesus didn’t save Just As They Are. That grace should not just comfort me, but it should give me patience and empathy and love for others. It’s good to remember that, especially this time of year when we sometimes don our judgy-pants along with our Christmas plaid.
I love the Christmas hymns, but I think this year, mixed in with my usual favorites, I’ll sing Just As I Am in my head a few times to remind myself that Jesus came for me Just As I Am and he came for all of us Just As We Are.