The Greatest Mix-Up of All Time

I was weaving my way through the grocery store yesterday, cart laden with Monday-morning necessities and a crabby toddler, when Josh drove his new monster truck across another shopper’s toe. He didn’t mean to, exactly. It’s just that when one is on all-fours pushing an ice-cream truck across the dirty floor of a supermarket and concentrating fully on making highly-authentic rumbling truck noises, it’s difficult to look out for moving obstacles. Thankfully, the toe in question belonged to a woman with seven grandchildren. (She told me proudly as she brushed off my bumbling apologies in the cereal aisle).

Joshua’s eyes danced and he grabbed the woman’s wrinkled hand. “Yeah. He came to my house FIRST because he made a BIG MISTAKE when he put me in his bag.” I quickly brought the confused listener up to speed and explained how Joshua had been picked out of the crowd at the Sinterklaas parade and stashed in the bearded saint’s bag.  Josh stood by solemnly and then finished my story with, “But I’m not naughty. I’m nice. Sometimes Sinterklaas gets SO MIXED UP!”

“Well, honey,” the dear grandma chuckled, “I get mixed up sometimes, too!”

As we headed for home, I thought to myself how grateful I am that the real reason for the season isn’t  a mixed up white bearded saint or a jolly red-suited sleigh driver. But as I pondered that thought, I realized that the very first Christmas must have appeared to be a grand mix-up, indeed. Surely Mary and Joseph must have wondered if the plan had been mixed up when there was “no room for them in the inn.” For certain, the angels must have marveled at what looked like the greatest mix up of eternity when Heaven’s darling traded Paradise for a manger, his royal throne for the arms of a mortal teenage mother. And that was only the beginning.

 The “Perfectly Planned Mix Up” continued until the One without blemish was nailed to the cross of Calvary and bore the sins of all mankind. His holiness for my holes. His stainless soul for my sinful one. His life for mine. Glorious Mix-Up. Glorious Grace.

Next time I spot Santa hauling his big pack of toys through the mall, I will thank Jesus for stepping into “the naughty sack” in my place. And offering me instead a limitless bag of grace!

The Overflow:  “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29