“This is the best day ever!â€
Those words frequently flow from the mouth of my oldest granddaughter whenever anything out of the ordinary occurs. Jessa has always been easy to impress. Simply easing down the highway, slurping a whipped cream-topped milkshake gives her the “happys.â€
This past Thanksgiving was, for me, the best day ever! Not because it was impressive but because it wasn’t. All thirteen of us gathered around the table, happy and blessed. Everyone seemed to enjoy merely being together. There were no birthday or Christmas gifts to distract us from one another. The weather smiled long enough for us to get outside. No agendas. No places to go. Just time together. We talked and laughed and played.
I had spent the two days before Thanksgiving quietly in the kitchen. From the outside looking in, all the chopping, stirring, whipping, and simmering might have seemed like work. But from the inside out, it never felt like work, only love. I had benefitted from the overwhelming love my mother and two grandmothers had stirred into me early on. Now, it was my turn to pass the love around the table. Anticipating the big day gave me a case of the “happys.â€
I wonder if those 400 years God quietly waited between the Old and New Testaments filled Him with great anticipation. As He prepared the stage for Jesus’ arrival, His heart surely overflowed with happiness. We might be tempted to think of the rise and fall of kings and kingdoms, the positioning of angels, wise men, and shepherds, and the preparation of Joseph’s and Mary’s hearts as hard work. However, God considered all of that proof of His love.
The day of Jesus’ birth must have been God’s best day ever. Not because the squirming, wrinkled baby was impressive but because He was Immanuel – God WITH us. God’s greatest desire is to be WITH us – all of us gathered around His table, happy and blessed with no distractions or worldly agendas. Just time together to talk, laugh, and play. You might think I’m merely talking about our time in heaven, but that’s not it. Because of Jesus, we can revel in God’s presence in the here and now.
“From one man, Adam, [God] made every man and woman and every race of humanity, and he spread us over all the earth. He sets the boundaries of people and nations, determining their appointed times in history. He has done this so that every person would long for God, feel their way to him, and find him—for he is the God who is easy to discover!†(Acts 17:26-27 TPT)
This year, as we prepare to honor Jesus’ birth, let’s spend more time with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Lean a little closer. It’s an impressive three-for-one deal that’s bound to give us a case of the “happys.†Find reasons to make every day your best day ever!
“Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.†(Matthew 28:20b)
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.†(Psalm 118:24)
