I went for a walk on the beach this morning. Got to see that glorious sun come up. Plain and simple. There were no whistles or bells. No stage, no one telling that sun how to optimize the experience. It slowly peeked above the horizon as the wind and waves did their thing. But it changed the whole appearance of the waves and warmed the wind and just seeing it break through the darkness always does something for me for sure.

That sun came up plain and simple like it does every morning. And it was glorious. Absolutely glorious.

Sometimes we see it. Sometimes, we can seek out that sunrise…get up early, face the east and wait.

Sometimes we don’t. But there it is, every morning, new, steady, present. Stable, consistent, real, whether we see it or not. Glorious to see how it’s the same and absolutely different every single morning.

And on this Christmas morning, I was just reminded that Jesus came in the same way…plain and simple. The whistles and bells of His coming were for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see…stars in the sky, angels coming unannounced, wise men who could see the signs understanding the incredible weight of glory of the birth. A baby changed everything. Sounds crazy until you study the scriptures and see that the story we are all a part of changed drastically with the coming of Christ. Glorious is an understatement.

I love how sometimes the most beautiful things are the most natural. No whistles or bells. No ribbons or bows. No loud ‘look at me’  announcements. Sometimes beautiful things just quietly show up, plain and simple. And once upon a time a beautiful thing came wrapped in swaddling clothes and was so much more than just a story.  (Oh, and it wasn’t a ‘once upon a time’ fantasy, it was a ‘now is the time’ kind of moment that changed our present reality.) Yeah, sometimes the most beautiful of gifts come wrapped in natural, simple surroundings, and just blend on in until we open our eyes and see the glory…the magnificent glory of the story that we are all a part of. Whether we know  it or not, have the eyes to see it or not, we are the recipients of a glorious gift as we have the open hands and hearts to receive.

Today amidst all the whistles and bells, the ribbons and bows, the sensory overload, well, my prayer is that we can see through it to the plain and simple gift that is as steady and present as the rising of the sun and accessible to each and every one of us. This gift that is simply glorious. My prayer is that as we’re receiving gifts with our hands, that we allow God to speak to our hearts and take time to ponder the beauty of the plain and simple gift that is ours to receive in Jesus. In the same way that the light changes the view and atmosphere, well, am thinking the gift of Jesus does the same.

I had a gentle reminder of that today…and wanted to share it with  you.

Merry Christmas friends ❤

~Heather