It is not a perfect Christmas for us this year. Some of my family are not here.  But it is still a “Merry” one. It is still one that is full of joy and wonder and amazement that God chose to come to earth in the form of man and dwell among us.

It would be nice to say “Merry Christmas” and be completely oblivious to the world around us. But that would mean that you and I are truly oblivious creatures. The fact is, more of us are hurting and broken at Christmas than are healthy and whole.

I am here to tell you that it is okay. It is okay with me and it is okay with Jesus. In fact, your brokenness is exactly why Jesus came. Your brokenness is the dirty, filthy stable. Your brokenness is a manger made for feeding animals, not for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But Jesus came anyway. He came and He stayed with us and He cried IN our brokenness, WITH us. Because Jesus is “Emmanuel, God with us.”

And He will come to you anew and afresh if you will let him.

But to do that we have to put away this notion of a perfectly decorated tree, perfectly lighted houses, perfectly wrapped presents, perfectly planned meals and perfectly pretty family and friends to share it with.  Jesus didn’t come for any of that. And actually, it’s quite the opposite.

If your world is so perfect and so “sanitized” then you have no need, nor room for Jesus. You are the Innkeeper. You are the one telling Jesus to move along because there is no room for Him in your world. I don’t want to be the innkeeper.

Is there a leadership lesson in here today? On Christmas day?

I don’t want perfection to the point where I have no room for Him in my life, in my home, in my family or in my brokenness. I would rather take all the sad, scary, horribleness WITH Jesus, than perfection without Him.

Many of us struggle with admitting that we are not perfect. We know it inside. We just don’t admit it. The problem is that those around us certainly know that we are not perfect. They are just waiting for us to acknowledge that we need a little help and they will step right in and they will shoulder the leadership load with us.

Are you a little broken this Christmas season? You can be whole again. You can be the leader that God is calling you to be. And I would love to help you. I would love to help you get plugged in to a community of Faith that will help you develop all aspects of your life. Just click on the email button on the Share Bar at the top or bottom of this post and send me a note. I will respond and help you identify a place where broken people become whole.

Merry Christmas