Follow the Star: Discover the Heart of JesusSample

As I look into the mirror, once again, I shake my head. The unspoken thought is almost always the same. "What a disappointment." Looking back, the root of how I felt about myself wasn't things I had said or done.  

I believed that I was a disappointment to God.  

There are valid reasons why God would look at us and shake His head. The half-truths, ugly thoughts, and day-to-day sins have not escaped his attention. As the Church has declared over the years, we sin against Him in our thoughts, words, and deeds.

Sin has been around since the garden of Eden, and God has addressed it in every generation. A sinful nation surrounded the prophet Jeremiah, and he dared to confront the people on behalf of God.   

  "My people have forsaken me." (2:13)  

  "This people has a stubborn and rebellious heart." (5:23)

But while addressing a sinful nation, Jeremiah reveals the heart of God. "Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the LORD." (31:20) How does the nation of Israel know that God's heart yearns for them? "The day will come, says the LORD, when I will do for Israel and Judah all the good things I have promised them." Jeremiah 33:14    As the nation is sinning, God is yearning for them. As they forsake him, he remembers all the good things he has promised to them.

Reflection Question: 

Do you believe that your best is never good enough and that you are a disappointment to God? If so, there is good news. God made a promise to you, and He kept it! "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel," Isaiah 7:14.

Prayer: 

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for seeing you as distant and disappointed in me. Forgive me for making my sin greater than your love.  Your death on the cross was for me, and I accept you as my Savior.

This Christmas, my heart yearns for you.

This Christmas, my heart belongs to you.

What can I give Him, poor as I am,

Were I a shepherd I'd give Him a lamb,

Were I a king I would do my part,

Since I'm a child, I'll give Him my heart.

-Christina Rosetti (1830-1894)