Between the Lines

This has been a week of uncertainty and disruption. We are in prayer for all those directly affected by the current health landscape, and for those indirectly affected as well. Some have already lost loved ones, and some are on the front lines serving others. Some are battling illness or anxiety, and still others are working to adjust to a new and more limited routine. The news has been covered with stories, warnings, statistics and advice. In the midst of all of these stories, a familiar passage in Luke jumped out in a new way during a daily reading this week. 

And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. Luke 2:4-7 NLT

There is a lot of story in this short description: Mary’s status as unwed yet pregnant and the social and emotional ramifications of that, the long trip while expecting a baby, the lack of accommodations of any type, childbirth without even the most basic elements of cleanliness or comfort, and the newborn baby being placed in an animal’s feeding trough. There is a lot of hardship hidden there in these few lines, and a lot of uncertainty and pain and doubt. The next verses in this chapter (Luke 2:8-20) tell of the shepherds, and the angels and the celebration. Maybe the pain and hardship are left out because it didn’t last. They were necessary, but also fleeting. The point is “peace on earth” and it is permanent, while the discomfort was temporary. 

God’s goodness leads to eternal increase at the expense of temporary hardship. When we create narratives around our own situations, we can also choose to focus on the increase and on the eternal. We can note the hardship and recognize the difficulties, but we can sing out the blessings that inevitably arise. When we cannot see or cannot know the blessings this side of heaven, our willingness to trust God with outcomes shouts His goodness to others. 

Luke chose to focus on the glory of God and on God’s plan. How can we better frame our own narratives so that we also focus on the glory of God rather than the pain in our circumstances? As parents, we have the ability to model this in our homes for our children. How you frame the narrative will affect how your children frame their narratives about this crisis. 

Our prayer for all of us is that we can all write stories that focus on hope and spread God’s love to those in our path.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV