I wrote this post actually on Christmas day about 4 years ago. I am amazed how this post still speaks to me, even 4 years later. I pray that as you read this and as Christmas approaches, you shift your perspective off of the shopping and gifts, and shift it more towards the real reason for the seasons-- giving, loving, family time, togetherness, and a whole lotta Baby Jesus, Savior of the World.
Insanity (adj): doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results
Insanity is the key, like all jokes aside, it is. I came to this realization today when my big sis and I went for the Christmas Eve service at Louie Giglio’s amazing church, Passion City.
For this to all make sense let’s back track to last year Christmas Eve. So one of my girlies and I went to the same Christmas Eve service at Passion last year. And although the message was a bit different it was kind of the same. Take a wild guess on what the message was? Yep that’s right, “The Christmas Story,” Virgin Mary, Baby Jesus (the savior to a broken world), immaculate conception, the manger, three wise men, you know, the whole squad. Lol. The Christmas Story, discussed in the first chapters of the Book of Luke, depicts the one of most pivotal point in history. It touches on many key themes, such as faith, humility, power in meekness, but the most powerful theme is restoration. God passionately desired to restore His relationship with His creations.
Most of us know this story very well. And I feel like when we know the story we don’t really sit back and take time to soak in how significant and incredible the birth of Jesus is. I’ve heard this same message of the Christmas Story I don’t know how many times. In the past I expected to be in absolute awe, amazement, with tears flowing, knowing that My Savior, the Redeemer for all of mankind was born. But, in fact, I get the same old outcome–psuedo-amazement (womp womp).
However, all of a sudden, this year, it was different, it was….magical. I don’t know what it was about the message, but it seriously penetrated my heart, from the atria all the way to the apex. And at that moment I realized the best word to describe Jesus’s love for his people is insanity. His kind of love is a crazy, insane love. Jesus will continue to love on us and sadly He may get rejected as we try and live our lives without Him, as we try and make our own path, putting all our trust into our own hands instead of His. But God, being the Faithful Father He is, will still persevere and love on us some more. Every now and then our hearts will kind of quiver and flutter as the sweet words He whispers touches our soul. But that romancing God does on us is quickly lost again. We reject it run back down that dark, hollow, barren alley we created for ourselves, somehow thinking it will produce a harvest greater than the one He has planned for us. Once again, God pursues us; He takes us on a romantic get-away to some exotic land. Fancy huh? Lol And He gets a little closer to winning our hearts, and again we see a mirage like on a desert island and we think it’s better than that exotic all inclusive get-away God took us to, and again He looses us. But the love He has for us is absolutely insane! He will keep showering us with that same agape, unconditional love again and again and again. With the same results of rejection, rejection, rejection.
But then all of a sudden something clicks! BING! And the epiphany light bulb goes off in our minds. And we realize, yes, we can run, but that place we are running to, trying to escape God’s presence and love, is worthless and futile. There is nothing like being in His presence, wrapped tightly in His embrace. We realize those places/people/things we use to run to quickly gave up on us with time. But God, with His insane love, never failed. He persisted, He pushed, He persevered, He pursued our hearts, minds, and souls and we finally melted under His overpowering, consuming love.
So it is true indeed my dear, insanity is the cure. True unconditional, agape love keeps pushing, keeps fighting, is relentless, is unstoppable. So once you splash a tinge of that kinda lovin’ on any situation, you will never produce that same ol’ undesired result again. That love will penetrate souls and change lives. That love is God’s love and an encounter with that will never leave any person, any situation, or any environment in that same dead, barren, hollow state, ever again.
So I challenge you to join me as I try and exhibit that same kind of love God shows us, that unconditional, insane, crazy love that transforms.
So as you spend time with family, friends, and loved ones reflect on that one-of-a-kind insane love that God shows us, think about that love. It brought about this spirit of Christmas.
God loves you more than you can imagine!
XOXO,
Jenn
Love this Christmas Album and all of her sultriness.
Lauren Daigle
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