Ever wonder why Jesus was born when He was? Over and over again, I have. I mean, God doesn’t choose anything randomly. So, why did He determine the perfect timing to be as He did? Since my conversations with God are plentiful, lately, I decided to run this one by him. In honesty, since in recent weeks God has had to seriously redirect my thinking, I’m pretty sure He decided I needed a lighter moment of discourse and fed me whimsical food for thought over meat and potatoes fact. Anyway, this is the gist of how God answered me.
Simply stated, God’s feedback was that Christ was born when He was because, at that time, cameras were nonexistent. Are you chuckling as I was, upon being served this explanation? My knee jerk reaction was what in heaven’s name do cameras have to do with Baby Jesus being born on earth? Instantaneously, God’s response was for me to think about it. He added the two-word clue “mirrored image”. Bingo! I understood God’s answer, which at this point went from riddle to logical and wise thinking.
If we were in possession of a genuine picture of Jesus Christ, would we be focused on His looks and not His character? Would we desire to imitate his outward appearance over the reflection of His innermost deeds? Would a photoshopped illusion, instead of walking in Christ’s shadow, place us by His side?
Suddenly, my initial giggle became a sigh of understanding. Modern mankind places so much emphasis on who or what our outer appearance looks like, while we should be a snapshot of who or what our inner portrait resembles. Christ’s familiar features, necessary to possess to be recognized as belonging to His family, are not the shape of his nose, His eye hue, the color of His hair or the curve of His outward smile. Not a camera, but a way of living and believing, portrays Jesus.
What’s more, pivoting on outer appearance breeds the picture of insecurity, which certainly is not a trait of Christ. Those, classified by the world as beautiful, most often live in constant fear their glamour will wane, and with age it naturally does. Those labeled as ordinary in silhouette, frequently, feel externally inferior, overlooking what radiates true and lasting beauty — the emergence of a Christ centered heart and soul.
Considering all this, without question, I couldn’t help but get the picture God was not completely pulling my leg with His “before cameras could capture Christ’s face” answer. No doubt about it, much more wisdom than the absence of cameras determined God’s timing for Jesus to be born on earth. However, God’s wisdom, on predicting mankind’s vulnerabilities, probably did come into play in His deciding the perfect moment for Christ to come into human view must be camera free. My final thought to share is that in heaven there, also, probably won’t be cameras. They won’t be needed!
Uplifted in a Broken Down World 