Jesus Dwelt Next to Us
- Brooke Singleton
- Dec 6, 2024
- 2 min read
“He didn’t come to stay far from our busy and our noise and our mess, but right next to us.”
“The word became flesh and dwelt among us. We perceived his glory, the glory as the one and only son of the father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
This is Christmas, and one of my most favorite verses. It does for my soul what the first deep inhale after holding my breath does for my lungs. The Word of God became one of us and came to be with us.
John 1:14 is a verse worth reading in the Greek because there’s some gold we could easily miss. The Greek translates the word “dwelt” literally as, “He pitched His tent among us.” He pitched His tent next to ours, momma. The lover of our souls, of our children’s souls, didn’t hold Himself up in tidy places; He didn’t come to stay far off on some hill, on a peak we’ll one day reach when we get this “Christian” thing down. He didn’t come to stay far from our busy and our noise and our mess, but right next to us. He didn’t wait until we had cleaned up our camp. He didn’t come with judgement and impatience, but He came overflowing with what He knew we desperately needed: grace. God came to make good on His promise to rescue us and to restore us.
I don’t know how that hits you, but that is a balm to my soul, and it soothes my frayed edges. What could be worth celebrating more than the human expression of God, being with us… Jesus: the true meaning of Christmas, camped right next to us?
Action Step:
Listen to “God With Us” by Mercy Me and mom, just meditate on this verse today. Steal a moment to think on it and let its hope and grace seep in to your soul. He came for you, where you’re at. And He’s not going anywhere. This was His good plan A.
Written by Brooke, mom of 3