Emmanuel

The name Emmanuel is striking to me. The idea of God dwelling with us and becoming His creation is beautiful in form and action.

Perfection submitted to imperfection.

God chose that which He formed and created with His own hands to nurture, raise and love His son, a perfect being. He trusted His creation to the point of releasing His son to us.

I’m beginning to see the birth and life of Jesus embodying a beautiful picture of a transparent God in absolute perfection choosing to be vulnerable. Choosing to be needy. Choosing to be naked. Choosing to be raised, instructed, and nurtured by very imperfect individuals.

And ultimately He chose to be hated, broken, and killed by the very creation He made and then submitted himself to.

It makes me wonder if true love, true perfection then is oftentimes a state of helplessness and dependence. Perhaps perfection is more about dependence rather than independence. And not only dependence on a God who is perfect, but also dependence on the people He made who are imperfect.

God Himself made an active choice to need the strength of another being by releasing His son to walk this earth and commune with His creation.

I want to love like that.

I want to be brave like that.

I want to understand that maybe true bravery is really trusting. And maybe trusting really comes from the deepest place of humility within. And maybe humility comes from understanding the beauty of grace.

And maybe grace is wildly intricate yet deeply simple.

Emmanuel.