I sniff the air. “I think someone needs a diaper change.”
Scooping up my baby, I head toward the change pad. The change pad is on the floor to protect my wiggly baby from falls.
Along the way, I fetch a toy – a purple rubbery block. Maybe that will serve to keep my baby entertained while I change her diaper.
I place her on the change pad. Immediately the battle begins. She cries and wriggles and tries to roll away.
I show her the purple block and hold it for her to bite. She turns her head away and cries harder.
Pulling out a clean diaper, I hold it for her to see.
“Look. It’s a diaper. I’m going to change your diaper.”
Her crying slows and she reaches for the diaper.
I give it to her.
The cartoon faces printed on the diaper capture her attention.
Seizing the opportunity, I pull off her soiled diaper and grab a wipe.
“Who do you see on your diaper? Do you see Cookie Monster and Big Bird?”
I toss the soiled diaper in the garbage and reach for the clean one in her hands.
“Time to put your diaper on.”
I tug at the one in her hands. She clings tighter.
I pull harder. She loses grip and begins to cry.
I hand the diaper back to her. She calms.
I sigh. “It’s not enough to just look at your diaper. You have to wear it.”
Thankfully I have a pile of clean diapers within reach. I grab another one and put it on her.
This interaction got me thinking.
It’s Christmas time. We celebrate Jesus’ birth with great enthusiasm. We decorate, sing songs, rejoice with family, and give gifts. It’s often a busy time of year.
As I think of the reason behind this season, my words to my baby echo in my head.
“It’s not enough to just look at the diaper. You have to wear it.”
I enjoy hearing the story of Jesus’ birth. It’s a story I’ve heard countless times before.
I try to imagine the shock of the shepherds when the angels showed up.
I wonder what it would have been like to be a wise man travelling so far as they followed that star.
I admire the nativity scene sitting on my shelf. My baby and I love looking at it.
But is that all there is to Christmas? Is it just for looking at?
No. There is more. Christmas day is just the beginning.
The reality of Jesus’ birth should change my life.
If it doesn’t, then I am no better than my baby when she admires her diaper rather than putting it to its proper use by wearing it. Holding a diaper rather than wearing it is rather pointless.
Today, as I reflect on the Christmas just past, rather than simply looking at the nativity scene and then walking away, may I let my life be transformed by seeking to understand why He came the way He did.
