The most beautiful gift.

Today is Christmas Eve. I sit here a few hours before the family and Turduckin arrives and am just thankful.

Like many of you fellow Christmas lovers, the anticipation for Christmas has been building for quite some time. Check my Facebook countdown.  I just love Christmas. Everything about it!  I love Christmas trees. And Christmas lights.  Christmas music and cookies. I love gingerbread, and wrapping paper.  And this year I have some odd fascination with all things sequins. I've resisted the urge to buy a sequin dress to wear today. You can thank me later.

But aside from all that, I'm thankful for the greatest of this season. I'm thankful for Jesus! So much so! Because let's be honest, without the birth of him, I'd be in a whirl wind of trouble. Last night at church we wonderfully celebrated the birth of Jesus! A birth wonderfully orchestrated and perfectly timed as the onset of God's awesome salvation plan. A salvation plan that somehow included me. A most gracious, gracious plan.

You see, I'm broken. I fail and fall fantastically five thousand freakin' times a day and once more for good measure. I stumble and waiver over things that are far less than worthy and then rationalize the benefits of settling. My pride prevails and my selfishness steals. I'm not exactly the sight of holy God created man to be. And I lack the intimacy with him I was created for.

Like I said, I'm broken. And i gotten really good at masking it.

But this morning, i sit overwhelming thankful for Jesus! For all that He is! And all that He did! He was born Lord as a humble baby, sent commissioned to live a perfect life, so that he could die. And in his death-- a most perfect sacrifice-- he would pay in full the debt of my sin. In his resurrection, he would conquer death and bring salvation! He would save people of their brokenness and instate righteousness. Not a righteousness brought by anything of my own will or manufacturing, but simply and only by the beautiful cloak of Jesus' blood. A righteousness new of his likeness.

So, as awesome -- or tacky to some i guess--  it would be to rock a sequin dress, today I am choosing to remember and wear the beautiful robe of righteousness that's been placed on my shoulders. A robe of scarlet- bought by the precious blood of my King. One too royal and holy for a simple girl like me to wear. And while too beautiful and weighty, I humbly will wrap myself deep in it and be reminded that even while i was still broken, crushed under the weight of my sin, Jesus saved me and called me into his family. He has wrapped me tightly in his grace and love. And the most beautiful thing yet, he is continually saving me and transforming me. Every day. From glory to glory!

For that most beautiful gift, i am SO thankful!

So, Merry Christmas my friends! May the grace of Jesus and the sweet reminder of his beautiful gift fill you with joy!