Jumble (definition):
“An untidy collection or pile of things.”
Our manger scene is all jumbled in its olive wood stable after Jael was playing with it the other day. She squeals when she sees baby Jesus in the Christmas story or in the nativity and continually asks me, “Where is her bed at?” in reference to Mary. At two-and-a-half, she is at the perfect age for learning how interactive the Christmas story really is.
Sitting on the porch Monday morning, I awake with the sun as I read my Bible and wake up in the frost-nipped air. My teen neighbor comes out about halfway through which leads to many questions and discussion about God, the devil, heaven, and hell, all before 7am. He waves “bye” as he boards the school bus. I definitely wasn’t expecting, “If the devil repented, do you think God would allow him in heaven?” when I snuck out of bed that morning. I sit with the jumbled tension of feeling slight annoyance that I'm starting the day with less quiet time than planned, but mostly invigorated by the questioning and curious conversation.
My living room has been a jumble of items needed restored to their rightful homes and seasonal items vying for their spots. A spontaneous visit from my parents brings both distraction and play for my toddler, and helps me with reorganization around the house. I’m feeling a little more reset than off-kilter today, a welcome blessing for a busy few weekends.
My friend's foster son made homemade tea at our home and wrote the recipe down for me. The recipe hangs on the side of my fridge and I smile every time I see the accidentally jumbled “megnut” on it.
The chorus from “A Strange Way to Save the World” has been stuck in my head (shout out to Jump5 nostalgia) -
“Why me, I'm just a simple man of trade
Why Him with all the rulers in the world
Why here inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she's just an ordinary girl
Now I'm not one to second guess
What angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world”
Here in this second week of Advent, I'm reminded of all the strange and untidy bits surrounding the birth of Jesus. It’s not just in these current times that governmental decisions, the feelings of other people, and ordinary to-do lists had to be navigated. We are in a world that falls apart more every day, yet babies are still being born and light is still here.
A little jumble, (or a lot), doesn't stop the Prince of Peace from the ability to bring peace to our hearts in the middle of it all. And perhaps the biggest encouragement is that not only is he comfortable with the jumbled-ness, but he was born into it and therefore can empathize with us.
I loved all of this. This theme of jumbled and messiness wasn’t something I heard much growing up, but I always felt ” it” and I feel it even more now as a mother. You put this all into words so well. ❤️
Thank you for digging a little deeper than we tend to do during advent. That first Christmas was far more complicated (and messy!) than simple.