If following Jesus was supposed to be easy, the Christmas story would look very different. Instead of mess, uncertainty, and risk, we would have guarantees and comfort. But God chose a different way, and that tells us something honest about obedience.

I never expected a simple question at a YFC meeting—“What’s your favorite Christmas ornament?”—to lead me back to a small, handcrafted Zulu nativity set resting on a little table in my living room. It’s just three figures—a dad, a mom, and their baby—yet somehow this tiny set carries a sense of the whole world drawn into one familiar story. I’m still amazed by how much it makes me think, and I’m also crossing my fingers my Goldendoodle won’t decide it’s a chewy new toy.