Hello, peeps and peepettes!

I’ve been long gone, haven’t I? Turns out the death of one’s grandmother has many effects. All good now though. Happy to be back on the blogging scene. Missed you all! Did you have a nice Christmas? A nice entrance into the new year? I sure hope so.

Hey, let me talk about something that struck me back around Christmastime. Feels like a year ago since we celebrated Christmas, doesn’t it? Well…it sorta was. Check your calendar again. Lol. Aaaanyway, I was struck by something as I reread the Christmas story in the Bible. Thing is, many of us have heard the story on repeat since we were toddlers, so it very easily can become ordinary, or even regarded as passé. But, every year going forward, I dare you to try to see something new. Better still, ask God to help show you something extraordinary in a story you’ve otherwise heard tonnes of times already.

Ok, first, the verses: “Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.” (Luke 1:6-7). This was in reference to Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. They would both end up becoming parents of the person now known as John the Baptist. Before I move on, here’s another verse you should be aware of: “Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.” That’s from Luke 1:31-33, and was what the angel was saying to young Mary, who would become mother of Jesus. Alright, then I’ll end with another noteworthy one: “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28).

So, I basically found it incredible all the super nice things being said both TO and OF these people. Like, throughout history from the time these things happened or were recorded, what we read has forever influenced how we view Elizabeth, her hubby, the teenage Mary, and even Jesus Himself (a baby who at the time was yet to be born). First God spoke so so highly of Elizabeth and her husband, then He even went on to hail Mary. We now see them as saints, some cultures even worship them, truly because of God’s choice of words. But, think about it: in the reality of their everyday lives, they were flawed human beings just like me, just like you. What does that tell you? It was right then that I learnt something new. God looks/focuses on the good He sees in us. In other words, He chooses to dwell on the potential in us, the beauty in our spirits. I think again and again of how we view even people like Zechariah who, in the same chapter, was shown to have failed and fallen (he made a faith mistake). We still understand him to have been “Special,” “Righteous,” even “Blameless,” in the point of view of the only One whose opinion matters in life.

The point, as I see it? It is very important how we choose to see people in terms of the lens we use. Not only that, it is just as vital how we choose to speak of them. What we say will directly affect others’ first (and sometimes forever!) impressions of them.

It also means that you and I, baggage and all, have to learn to leave them behind. We all have things in our lives that we’re deeply ashamed of, things that haunt us from our past. Truth is, if we’ve already come to God with them, and apologized for them, He has let them go! He’s forgotten them! It’s time we did too. If He chose to leave the grave behind Him, then so will I.

And so should you, dear friend.

Make it a great 2019.

©2019, WriTEswAY