Advent Visio II

Week of all weeks ... I admit this one has been rough. I'm recovering from my second flu since Thanksgiving; and all this not feeling well has really put a hitch in my giddy-up. Not to mention all the internal self-shaming I've been giving myself for my "lack of productivity" (which is great medicine, I'm sure!).

Yet, in the midst of this yuckiness I've found myself missing Jesus. Honestly, this is a new experience, credited only to the latter half of 2013. Prior I didn't feel close enough to Jesus to miss him. But in these weeks if laying low, Beeaking Bad, and East of Eden on audiobook I've realized - I miss Jesus.

And I don't mean that I've missed him in my guilt for not keeping up with a devotional routine - more in the line of missing a friend.

When I read another blogger's post on trying to find an authentic nativity set is when I realized what I was feeling. So it wasn't a surprise to me today when I went to my Christmas tree which ornament stood out: the Veggie Tales nativity. Silly, and far from authentic, it seemed to me today to be a kind message in a familiar form from Jesus: I'm still here.

Thank you, Jesus. I'm so glad. Amen.