He chose me ~ December 1

[dropcap]I[/dropcap] have been driving with only one eye lately.

In fact, for over a week now, I scurry with lead-filled foot from one appointment to another, praying the police don’t pull me over for a missing headlight. The new bulb taunts me from its tiny little box each time I place a caffeinated drink in the center console and each time, I remind myself, maybe this afternoon… maybe tomorrow… for sure this weekend…

I’ll finally find the time.

But the afternoon passes without even waving and tomorrow morphs into yesterday without anyone noticing. 

And then there are those moments, when I’m in a long check out line at the pet store buying Mr. Watson, our dog, an ugly Christmas sweater that I’m forced to slow down and remember, although the snow hasn’t fallen, what this season means to me.

Puffy coats and knitted gloves and boots with tassled balls march all around me.  A Christmas carol wavers above, showering us with the promise of Christ coming to Bethleham. Someone carries a ginormous white bone with a red bow on it toward the checkout and I wonder if possibly a pet lion is sleeping on their couch right now, waiting for their arrival back home.

And then there’s this child, chubby face pressed close to the glass, watching the kittens play on the other side. And I hear her soft voice, gently reminding each one that they are special, but her mommy will only let her choose one and she wonders which one, maybe the one with a frosted tail, or the one with the black paws, will be her Christmas kitten.

“I can’t choose,” she pouts and her mother stands close leaning on a shopping cart filled with kitty litter, a bag of Kibbles that will take three months for the small cat to devour, and packages of assorted mice and jingle bells to bat at.

“Take your time,” she replies.

The girl giggles, “I want to take them all home with me.”

After I check out, I hear that phrase, over an over, “take them all home”, a continuous loop, hit replay, won’t you “with me”, bump that button once more “take them all home with me” around and around.

And then I see it.  And feel it at the same time. This realization of why. 

God wants to take us all home to be with Him.

So He sent His only begotten Son to walk this way with us.

Chubby feet kissed and nibbled on by Mary, just a newborn baby… love coming down from heaven.

Dusty feet walking the dirt path, washed by the tears of the sinners.

Bleeding feet walking the way of grief, the Via Dolorosa, heavy with not only a rugged beam, but also my sins.

For me. 

Because one day, a long, long time ago, God looked down from heaven and said, “I want to take them all Home to be with me.”

A smile spreads across my face as I put my one-eyed car into drive, still rushing from one thing to another, but oh, so quiet and thankful in my heart, just sitting in silence at the feet of Jesus. 

He chose me.

I can hardly believe it. 

This Christmas season, amidst the bustle and whirl of it all, amidst the chewed up phone cases  (Mr. Watson didn’t like his ugly Christmas sweater) and almost spilled coffee, I’m committing to sitting at His feet, remembering the season and all the promises the birth of Christ has brought.

Will you not sit with me as we unwrap these promises together?  

By clicking here, you can download today’s promise.  Each day until Christmas, we will discuss the previous day’s promise and each day, there will be a new promise posted at the bottom of each post. After unwrapping each promise, you can email your words to me at duane2scott@gmail.com if you’d like (please do!) and your words, with permission, could be shared with the readers here at Scribing the Journey.