Books Read in 2023

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Books read in 2023

By my count, I read 83 books last year. I’ve enjoyed a variety of older and newer, fiction and nonfiction. Reading is my favorite hobby, entertaining as well as educational. I’ll post my favorites from this list next.

I didn’t keep close records of which were audiobooks, but about half of them were, mostly in the Classics and Christian fiction categories.

The titles link to my reviews. MTBR stands for Mount TBR, or To-Be-Read, a challenge for reading books we already own.

Classics:

Nonfiction:

Christian Fiction:

Other Fiction:

I’ve already started new books for 2024!

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

A Few Short Christmas Book Reviews

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I was able to finish some Christmas reading the last couple of weeks, but didn’t have time to review them. Many of them were short, so I’ll bunch them all together here.

The 20th Christmas

In The 20th Christmas by Andrea Rodgers, Arianna Tate faces a parent’s worst nightmare: her almost 2-year-old son is taken from her in a coffee shop just before Christmas.

Al the searching, detectives, and appeals come up with zero results. People remembered seeing a young woman in the coffee shop, but no one could remember much about her.

For the next 20 years, Andrea and her husband descend into the lowest depths of despair. They almost lose their marriage, but make determined efforts to make things work. They’re finally able to move on, though the pain never goes away.

Meanwhile. Lydia Feller’s estranged, drug-abusing sister shows up on her doorstep with a child. Lydia had heard her sister was pregnant a while back, but the timing doesn’t seem to match up with the age of this child. When her sister dies of an overdose, Lydia adopts her child to show him love and grant some stability to his life.

Twenty years later, the pathways of all involved meet.

I felt Arianna’s life before the kidnapping was almost too perfect. And there were a number of parenthetical statements in the writing I was surprised got past an editor.

But this was a good book overall.

A Cliche Christmas

In A Cliche Christmas by Nicole Deese, Georgia Cole left heartache and humiliation in her home town of Lenox, Orgeon to become a Hollywood screenwriter famous for heartwarming but cliched Christmas movies. Since she works with Christmas themes all year, in December she usually takes her grandmother on an exotic vacation to get away from traditional Christmases.

But this year, her grandmother ropes her into putting on a Christmas play in her hometown to benefit a little girl with cancer.

Georgia runs smack into her old crush, Weston, who happens to be the uncle of the girl in question. She thought he lived elsewhere. They clash at every encounter until they finally start listening to each other.

Though in many ways this was a sweet story, I didn’t like all the manipulation going on with Georgia’s grandmother and Weston. Weston seems kind and caring in many respects, but he’s also a little pushy, pinning Georgia to a car at one point until she answers him. I don’t think the writer intended to make him seem as controlling as he came across sometimes, but in real life, I would’ve had reservations about him.

I read this because I loved a couple of Nicole’s other novels and I liked the unusual premise. Though I didn’t like this as well, I loved where the story ultimately ended up.

Shepherds Abiding

My friend Melanie mentioned rereading Shepherds Abiding at Christmas. The book comes in the middle of Jan Karon’s Mitford series. When I wanted something warm and Christmasy to finish out the year, I decided to listen to this again. I was afraid it might pull me into wanting to reread all the Mitford books. That’s a bit of a temptation, but this can be easily read as a Christmas book alone.

For me, this book was a beloved reread, enhanced by listening to the excellent audiobook version read by John McDonough.

Various subplots are going on among Mitford’s residents, but the overarching story involves Father Tim trying to restore a mismatched Nativity set bought from local antiques dealer, Andrew Gregory. He wants to do it as a surprise for his wife, but keeping a secret is hard in Mitford.

This book showcases Karon’s trademark blend of warmth, humor and truth. The version I listened to also included short stories “Esther’s Gift” and “The Mitford Snowmen.”

The Christmas Doll by Elvira Woodruff reads like an old-fashioned nineteenth-century classic, but it was published in 2000.

Two young sisters, Lucy and Glory, are orphaned and spend several years in a London workhouse with barely enough food. A deadly fever sweeps through the facility, claiming many of their friends. When Glory becomes ill, Lucy knows that if she’s taken to the infirmary, she’ll never come back. So she takes Glory and escapes.

But city streets are unfriendly to the poor, especially on winter nights. The girls suffer various mishaps. Finally someone tells them of “mudlarkers,” people who dig around in the muck by the river looking for things to sell. Lucy finds a dirty old doll with a quirky smile, setting off an unexpected series of events.

This book has some of the melodrama and fancifulness of a Dickens story. It was sweet and very well done. The audiobook was free for Audible subscribers at the time and wonderfully read by Bernadette Dunn.

I had not heard of the Christmas in My Heart series by Joe Wheeler, but apparently he’s compiled several books of Christmas stories, his own as well as others’.

The Best of Christmas in My Heart is made of several heartwarming stories from the series gathered over the years. Many are old-fashioned, but some are new. Most are fiction, but some, like John Cain’s account of Christmas in a POW camp, are true. I had not heard of most of the authors, but a few familiar ones are represented, like O. Henry and McCain. One story about a tablecloth made the rounds of the Internet a few years back.

Wheeler begins the book with telling how he came to start writing and then start compiling this series.

There are eighteen stories, so it would be easy to spread this out over December with almost a story a night.

That wraps up my Christmas reading! Have you read any of these? Did you read anything Chrismasy in December?

The Dark Side of Christmas

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The Dark Side of Christmas

We usually put the wise men with the Nativity scene, representing their part of the Christmas story. But the wise men didn’t arrive to visit Jesus and His family until some time later.

After the wise men gave Jesus their gifts, they were warned in a dream not to go back the way they had come, the way to king Herod. He had said he wanted to know where the new king was, so he could pay Him homage, too. But he actually wanted to destroy what he saw as his rival.

Joseph, meanwhile, had been warned in a dream to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt until the danger was past. So, thankfully, Jesus was safe.

When the wise men did not return and Herod realized he’d been tricked, he was so furious that he had all the male babies under the age of two in the region of Bethlehem killed.

How jarring, after all the talk about peace on earth and good will toward men, to have this horrible, senseless thing happen.

Satan is a defeated foe: “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).

Satan is something like a general who gets word that the war is over; the army has been defeated. But until the authorities come for him, he’s going to wreak as much havoc and destruction as he can.

Or he’s like a snake that a neighbor in my childhood killed after getting it out of our house. Though she chopped off its head, its body still writhed and its mouth still opened and closed. It was not a poisonous snake, thankfully. But if it had been, it would have still been dangerous for a while even after death.

Satan’s targets are anything belonging to God. Revelation 12 gives us an allegorical picture:

When the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who had given birth to the male child. . . . So the dragon was furious with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep the commands of God and hold firmly to the testimony about Jesus (Revelation 12: 13,17, CSB) (p. 146).

So what about peace on earth? Does that not come until Jesus returns? Does mankind just hold on until then, trying not to drown in violence, injustice, and oppression?

No. Colossians 1:19-20 says, “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” He carried the weight of all sin on Himself, paying its penalty in our stead.

He gives us peace with Him when we believe on Him as our Lord and Savior.

Then He gives us peace in the midst of life’s storms and trials because He is with us.

He gives us peace because He is our peace: “Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:13-14a).

Ultimately, the day will come when Satan will be done away with completely. Violence and oppression will cease. Someday, “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6).

Until then, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

We may have faced sorrows and troubles even at Christmas time. We don’t know what the year ahead might hold. But we can face whatever comes with God’s peace.

Jesus is our peace

(This post was partially inspired by the chapters “Dream State” and “Christmas Morn” in Heaven and Nature Sing: 25 Advent Reflections to Bring Joy to the World by Hannah Anderson.)

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

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Laudable Linkage

This has been another light reading week, at least for online posts. But here are a few that stood out to me. A couple are related to Christmas, but still useful.

Christmas and the Reliability of God’s Words. “Sometimes a light surprises the Christian while he reads, even when it’s a passage he has seen many times before. As I was rereading (for the fifth or sixth time this Christmas season) Luke’s nativity narrative, I was surprised by a repeated emphasis on the utter certainty of God’s words.”

The Weary World Rejoices, HT to Challies. “With the increase of mind-numbing songs that passed for Christmas music, I noticed a few years ago a hunger in me for a melodic reminder of what Christmas was all about (cue the stage lights for Charlie Brown and Linus). Like pink aluminum Christmas trees, contemporary Christmas songs seemed so far from celebrating the birth of our Savior! I began to listen more closely to versions of traditional carols played during the Christmas season, paying attention to the words rather than just humming along with the familiar melodies.”

32 Random Thoughts About Church.

Just a Stay-at-Home Mom, HT to Challies. “Whenever I’m around professionals, I feel shame prickle my neck and cheeks. As they tell me about their journey from college to working their way to this position they’re currently in, I cringe when the silence comes—because we all know the next question.”

Drawing Near: Loving Your Adult Children and Grandchildren, HT to Challies. “When children move from reliance on their parents toward the independence of adulthood, it can be disorienting. Initially, parents set the guidelines for behavior and schedules in the home, but adult children grow toward autonomy by moving out, pursuing careers, and establishing households — households with a culture of their own. These shifts can be accompanied by strong opinions and feelings.”

Finding Grace in Infertility and Loss, HT to Challies. “Goodness knows I’ve sat in the abyss for hours, days, months, wondering where all the light went or if it ever existed at all. The happy bow at the end of the story doesn’t erase the tormented nights, the weeping until no tears are left, the engulfing losses. The Christian life is far more mysterious than we are comfortable with.”

Many people start the new year planning to read the Bible more regularly. A couple of previous posts here might be helpful to you: Planning to Read the Bible More this Year lists several reading plans, and Making Time to Read the Bible shares tips.

Augustine quote

Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His love,
and the future to His providence. Augustine

Friday’s Fave Five

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Friday's Fave Five

Some Fridays, it takes a bit of thought to come up with five favorites for the week for Friday’s Fave Five with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story. But other weeks, like this one for us, it’s hard to narrow the favorites down to five. Here’s my best attempt:

1. Christmas, of course: the music, decorations, lights, food, cards and letters from friends and loved ones, time with family, and most of all, the reminder that God loved us enough to send Him to redeem us.

2. Family outings. Last Saturday, we visited Sweetwater Valley Farm, took a tour of the facility, saw the robotic cow milkers in progress, heard a lot of interesting facts about the science and psychology of managing a dairy farm, and ate great food at their cafe, made with cheeses produced there. Beforehand, Jim said, “I can’t believe we’re paying to see a dairy farm” since he grew up surrounded by them. But at the end, he thought it was a great place to visit. Our tour guide was quite amusing.

Then Wednesday we went to James White’s Fort, which was where Knoxville got its start. One neat feature of their tour is QR codes on the doorposts of each building that you can scan and hear more about the building, the things inside it, and the activities that would have taken place in it.

We got done there pretty early in the afternoon, so went over to the Knoxville Museum of Art. I love that it’s free and not terribly large. If it had cost a lot to get in, you’d feel you had to wait til you had several hours. This way, we can wander in for a bit when we’re downtown.

After that, we ate at Smash City, which was amazing.

3. A sweet gesture. While at the cheese shop of the dairy farm, I saw someone at the checkout of the gift shop with a cute pink mug. I asked where she found it in the store, but she said she only saw the one. I looked around there as well as the shop connected with the cafe, and saw blue cups, but no pink ones. I lamented that to the family. A little while later, Jim wandered off to check at both shops, then saw one on a display behind the counter. He asked if he could buy that one, and they said yes.

4. A new computer! I had become increasingly frustrated with my computer running slow and having trouble doing what it was supposed to. One problem was that I was running on Windows 7 in a Windows 11 world. 🙂 Another was old drivers. I had determined that while Jeremy was here, I wanted Jim to confer with him about what would be best to do. But on Christmas morning, I was surprised to find that they had gotten a new one! Jim said he was afraid it would be viewed like a vacuum cleaner or iron–necessary but not a very exciting gift. I assured him I was excited!

Then Jeremy got everything set up for me, transferred all my files over (which took a couple of days because it ran so slowly), and deleted a bunch of extraneous stuff.

I am extremely well-pleased! I feel like I’ve gone from a donkey race to the Indy 500.

5 Clever Clasps. I have trouble fastening a few of my necklaces, even with turning them around and looking in the mirror. I knew I had some of these magnetic clasps, but couldn’t find them (after having moved them from the “wrong” place, where I used to see them all the time, to a location I couldn’t remember). I found them this week while looking for something else. They work so well!

I hope you have a great weekend and Happy 2024!

December Reflections

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December Reflections

December has been a busy but delightful month. My oldest son came in from RI last week, and the local kids have been over more often to see him (and us, too, of course. 🙂 ). We enjoyed Christmas together as well as a few outings (more about those on Friday’s Fave Five tomorrow), games, and lots of talking and laughing.

Usually during the last week of December, I post the books I read this year, my top ten or twelve of those books, and wrap-ups to reading challenges. Sometimes I also share the top-viewed posts of the year. This week there just hasn’t been time. I wanted to enjoy time with the family as much as possible. So I’ll at least share the bookish posts next week.

We’ve greatly simplified our Christmas activities, but we got to go to a couple of gatherings, a play, a fun Family Night at church (skits, songs, etc.). It all felt like just enough without being overwhelming.

Jim and I celebrated our 44th anniversary. We normally keep it pretty simple since it’s so close to Christmas and such a busy time. We go out to eat at a nice restaurant and exchange cards. It’s a nice time to pause and reconnect in all the busyness.

Watching

We really enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See. It had a bit of bad language. It was set during WWII, so naturally there was violence–some of it may have gone over the top. But overall it was a great movie. I’ve heard the book is excellent, but so far have not read it yet. I want to even more now.

We also enjoyed watching The Muppet Christmas Carol, most of us for the first time.

Creating

This is the card I made for Jim for our anniversary:

Anniversary card

I used a heart punch and then edged them a bit by tapping a foam brush onto an ink pad and brushing it around the edges. The “I” and “U” were stickers.

This was Jim’s Christmas card:

Christmas card for husband

This was Jeremy’s:

Son Christmas card

He likes foxes. The wording and holly border were stickers. The “snow” was embossed with the Cuttlebug.

This was Jason’s:

Son Christmas card

This was Mittu’s:

Daughter-in-law Christmas card

I did the lamppost and tree with the Cricut. The wording was a sticker.

This was Timothy’s:

Grandson Christmas card

The wording was another sticker. With making so many at once, I relied on shortcuts as much as possible. I got the stuffed snowman and hat at Hobby Lobby–they were both stickers as well, but made of fabric.

This was Jesse’s:

The words were a sticker and the tree was made with the Cricut (same tree shape as on Mittu’s card).

Reading

Since last time, I completed (titles link to my reviews):

  • Elisabeth Elliot: A Life by Lucy S. R. Austen, nonfiction (actually finished at the end of November but not reviewed til December). I enjoyed learning more about this woman who has shaped so much of my own thinking. The author did well with harmonizing material from several sources, but I felt she was too critical.
  • Abide Bible study course on 1, 2, and 3 John by Jen Wilkin, not reviewed.
  • Heaven and Nature Sing by Hannah Anderson, nonfiction. This was a reread, linked to last year’s review. I am so glad I read it again this year. Though I fondly remembered some parts, I had totally forgotten others. Excellent, very highly recommended.
  • Secrets She Kept by Cathy Gohlke, fiction, audiobook. A woman in the 70s travels to Germany to learn more about the mother with whom she’d had a difficult relationship and finds some surprising information about the family she never knew. Excellent.
  • Crown of Thorns by Sigmund Brouwer, fiction, is set in Charleston , one of my favorite places. It’s a bit of a departure from my usual preferences, but was still good.
  • The Christmas Angel Project by Melody Carlson, fiction, audiobook. Four friends mourn another who has just died and start a project in her memory. Very good.
  • O Little Town, three novellas by Amanda Wen, Janyre Tromp and Deborah Raney, set in a small Michigan town in three different time periods. Very good.
  • A Cliche Christmas by Nicole Deese, fiction, audiobook, not reviewed yet.
  • The 20th Christmas, fiction, not reviewed yet.

That might look like a lot, especially for December, but the Christmas books were short.

I’m currently reading:

  • Be Skillful (Proverbs): God’s Guidebook to Wise Living by Warren Wiersbe, nonfiction
  • Proverbs for Life for Women
  • Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making by Andrew Peterson
  • Being Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn (mentioned this last time but set it aside for Christmas reading)
  • How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One by Stanley Fish (had also set this aside for a time)
  • Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon, the Mitford book set during Christmas. Another lovely reread, via audiobook this time.
  • The Best of Christmas in My Heart, a collection of short stories written or compiled by Joe Wheeler.

Blogging

Besides the weekly Friday Fave Fives, Saturday Laudable Linkage, and book reviews, I’ve posted these since last time:

Writing

As you can imagine, there’s not been much activity on that front this month. I’m hoping to be more disciplined and regular about it next year. I’m looking forward to our writing Critique group resuming.

We’re soaking up family together time for the next few days. I have not even thought much about next year yet. Time enough for that next month. I don’t choose a word for the year or make resolutions per se, but I like to evaluate different areas and set goals.

Have a wonderful and safe rest of 2023!

Merry Christmas!

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Merry Christmas!

I wish all of you a wonderful, special, merry Christmas.

May the love our Savior showed in leaving heaven’s splendor to come to earth, live a righteous life in our place, die for our sins, and rise again
fill your hearts and draw you to Him.

Infant holy, Infant lowly, for His bed a cattle stall;
Oxen lowing, little knowing, Christ the Babe is Lord of all.
Swift are winging angels singing, noels ringing, tidings bringing:
Christ the Babe is Lord of all.
Christ the Babe is Lord of all.

Flocks were sleeping, shepherds keeping vigil till the morning new
Saw the glory, heard the story, tidings of a Gospel true.
Thus rejoicing, free from sorrow, praises voicing, greet the morrow:
Christ the Babe was born for you.
Christ the Babe was born for you.

Tra­di­tion­al carol, trans­lat­ed from Po­lish to Eng­lish by Edith M. Reed, 1921.

Friday’s Fave Five

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Friday's Fave Five

Ready or not, Christmas is coming! I hope your preparations are going well and you have some quiet time to just enjoy the season and reflect on its meaning.

This has been a full week, and I’m grateful Susanne at Living to Tell the Story hosts this weekly pause to recount blessings that otherwise will be all too soon forgotten, perhaps even unnoticed. Here are a few of mine:

1. Jeremy is home! My oldest son flew in this week and we’re looking forward to family time all together.

1. Our 44th anniversary. Our anniversary fell on Jeremy’s first evening home, so we celebrated a couple of nights early by going out to a nice restaurant. Then on the day, Jim surprised me with flowers and we exchanged cards. I’m thankful for our years together and would not have wanted to go on the journey with anyone else.

Roses

3. Catching up. Last week I was behind schedule. I prayed over making the family Christmas cards, and it’s amazing how well and quickly they all came together. God gave strength and efficiency to get done the main things that needed doing.

4. Sunday school lesson. One of our ladies’ Sunday School teachers was out of town and the other was sick. The latter called me to ask if I might be willing to share a devotional that Sunday, and another lady would lead in an extended prayer time for concerns over Christmas break (traveling, tense family situations, etc.). I had not done anything like that in at least thirteen years. I asked if I could let her know the following day in order to pray and let nerves settle down. That night, I saw this among my Twitter/X feed:

I don’t know if I would say it was a sign, but it helped. 🙂 I said yes and looked at some of my past Christmas posts: due to short notice and the extreme busyness of the week, I felt I’d have to use something I had already studied out. Everything came together, none of my physical issues caused problems, and there were some good comments during the discussion. I don’t think I’d want to make a habit of this. 🙂 But I was abundantly grateful for God’s help.

5. Family Christmas night at church. One of this church’s traditions is a “Family Christmas Night” in December. Anyone can sing, recite a poem, do some kind of skit or drama, etc., alone or with others. Some of the selections were serious, some funny. Timothy’s “Eagle Club” recited verses they’ve been learning–his first time doing anything onstage, and he did great. Then they had finger food refreshments afterward. It was a fun evening. Jim already has some ideas for next year. 🙂

Bonus: Turkey Bone Soup is something we usually have the week after Thanksgiving. There never seemed to be a good time, so we put the bones and turkey leftovers in the freezer. We ended up having it last night. One of our favorite things.

Another bonus: staying well. Colds, strep, RSV, and Covid are going around, and I was praying we’d stay well til Jeremy got here and through Christmas. Now I am praying the same for the rest of his visit.

I wish all of you who celebrate the day a very special and happy Christmas!

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”(Galatians 4:4-5).

Review: O Little Town

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O Little Town Christmas novellas

O Little Town is a collection of three stories by three different authors. The town in question is not Bethlehem, but Mapleview, Michigan. Each author’s story takes place in a different time.

Hopes and Fears by Amanda Wen begins in a two-room schoolhouse in November, 1912. Emma Trowbridge teaches the younger students and loves her job. She’s dismayed to learn that her mentor and boss who teaches the upper grades has to take leave due to a family emergency. But she’s totally floored to find out that his replacement is Frederick Oberstein, her rival and nemesis all through school.

Frederick went away for a four-year degree, but Emma took classes at a nearby teaching college. They had not seen each other in years. They start clashing almost immediately. What Emma mistakes as Frederick’s curmudgeonly ways actually reflect weariness and grief. Can they learn not only to work together, but to actually appreciate each other’s gifts?

While Mortals Sleep by Janyre Tromp takes place during WWII. Eleanor Sweers had left her dysfunctional family years ago to become a reporter in California. She comes home due to her sister’s death, the only relative with whom she had a bond. She’s shocked to discover her sister named her as her daughter’s guardian. An old family friend, Gideon Braum, is a lawyer who helps Eleanor (nicknamed Lennie) through the legal process.

Something about Lennie’s sister’s death doesn’t add up, though. Lennie can’t turn off her reporter’s instincts and begins to investigate. She’s stunned to find evidence of a Japanese balloon bomb, similar to one she researched in CA. What is a Japanese bomb doing in Mapleview, MI? Gideon helps her learn more.

The Wondrous Gift by Deborah Raney takes place in present time. The faculty of a small Christian school is stunned to learn the school is closing due to low enrollment and high costs. After the announcement, some of the teachers agree to meet and talk about the situation further. Music teacher Rachel Hamblin and coach Caleb Janssen end up riding together, but they misunderstood where the other teachers were going. As they get to know each other, they hit it off and wonder why they had not noticed each other before.

Though sad about losing their jobs, they each harbor dreams about what they’d really like to do. They cheer each other on as they think, pray, talk, and take tentative steps in their new ventures. Things are going amazingly well until they realize that only one of them can have what they both wanted. Can they work through the issues, or will this derail their fledgling relationship?

I enjoyed experiencing stories in the same small town in different eras. It was fun to occasionally recognize a person or item from the previous era, though I probably missed some of those connections.

I’m afraid the characters in the first story didn’t resonate with me quite as much. Emma’s “force of nature” personality and Frederick’s faulty reasoning both hit me the wrong way.

And the second story’s writing seemed excessive in places. For example, “The hot, laughing breath of the reaper sighed on my neck even as he shoveled dirt over my self-made grave” and “It was a missive from the devil written in the blood of my regrets.”

Plus the narration of the audiobook I listened to seemed overwrought in the first two stories.

The third story was my favorite. I enjoyed the banter between the two characters and the progression of the story. The narration seemed more natural here.

Overall this was an enjoyable Christmas read. I liked that it wasn’t light and fluffy: each story dealt with serious issues and feelings. Each story was clean and seamlessly incorporated Christian truths and principles.

When You Feel Unwanted

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When you feel unwanted

What do you do when you feel unwanted?

We moved when I was in junior high, and my new school was the most clique-ish place I have ever seen. Very distinct groups rarely interacted with each other except when required to for class. I spent weeks, maybe months, eating alone and walking around the grounds in tears during lunch break until finally I found a friend.

So that’s one option when we feel unwanted: cry. 🙂

Another option might be to become a pathetic sycophant, doing anything to be accepted into the group. Kids get drawn into gangs this way.

A third option could be embracing the opportunity to be a maverick, with a “Who needs them, anyway” attitude.

Unfortunately, some people seek revenge on the group for making them feel like an outsider.

One of the saddest Bible verses to me is John 1:11: “(Jesus) came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”

The world was inhospitable to Him since He was in the womb.

  • There was no room for Him to be born (Luke 2:1-7).
  • Herod tried to kill Jesus by having all the male babies under two years of age in Bethlehem killed (Matthew 2:13-23).
  • Satan tried to tempt Jesus to do away with Himself (Matthew 4:1-11).
  • During His public ministry, Jesus had “nowhere to lay His head” (Matthew 8:19-21).
  • His own half-brothers did not believe in Him (John 7:3-5).
  • People listened while He healed and gave them food. But when He started to say “hard things,” they left (John 6:60-71).
  • Some tried to throw Him off a cliff (Luke 4:28-30).
  • His disciples often didn’t understand or argued over which of them would be the greatest.
  • The scribes and Pharisees publicly debated and baited Him and eventually called for Him to be crucified.

He was the Messiah they had been promised and were expecting for centuries. But He wasn’t quite the kind of Messiah they were looking for. They didn’t just ignore Him or overlook Him: they rejected Him. Some went even further than rejection: they sought to do away with Him.

Jesus, thankfully, did not choose any of our listed options when people ignored, rejected, despised, or threatened Him.

He loved.

“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

He didn’t wait to die for us until we had cleaned up our act. He knew when He came that people would reject Him. But He loved them anyway. He took the initiative and sought to turn their hearts to Himself.

John 1 goes on to say that, though His own people did not receive Him, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10).

He goes beyond acknowledging and saving us. He makes His home with us. “Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him'” (John 14:23). He rejoices over us with joy, prepares a place for us.

Even once we come to know Him, we can sometimes let the cares of this life crowd Him out. We celebrate His coming with such frenzied activity that we neglect the very One whose birth we’re celebrating.

Room for pleasure, room for business,
But for Christ the Crucified,
Not a place that He can enter,
In the heart for which He died?
– D. W. Whittle, “Have You Any Room for Jesus?”

His love is perfect and perseveres despite all obstacles.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room,
and heav’n and nature sing.
– Isaac Watts

May our hearts be hospitable to our Savior. May we not only make room for Him in our minds, affections, and time: may we give Him first place. And may we let His initiating, persevering love flow through us to others.

John 1:11-12

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