I am sitting in the Redmond airport waiting on my delayed flight to Denver in order to board a second flight home to Houston.
Is it Christmas travel without twists and turns and unexpected stops along the way?
Why are we surprised when we have a Christmas that doesn’t go as planned?
That first Christmas certainly did not unfold as scheduled.
Rather than having their baby safely at home, a distant ruler told Joseph and Mary they had to travel somewhere else. No exceptions granted for distance or pregnancy.
When Mary and Joseph arrived at their destination, their expected lodging was full up. They had to depend on the kindness of strangers.
Their first guests were not the ones they would have likely selected. No wonder Mary took to pondering after those shepherds left. It is a Christmas wonder that Mary was able to reframe the unexpected into treasures in her heart.
Then there were the Wise Ones. I’m pretty sure they had some pause about delivering fancy gifts to not exactly the person they imagined.
And somehow they were able to pivot and decide that a different way home than they’d planned was the better way home. Were they wise because they were flexible?
Perhaps one of the true meanings of Christmas is to expect surprises. Like Mary, to ponder the unexpected and find treasures in them. Like the wise ones, to know that flexibility in both the destination and departure will show true wisdom.
Tenth day of Christmas blessings.
House of Grace 