Longing

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times..

He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth
And he will be our peace Micah 5:2,4

Human longings, holy longings

What do I long for?   What am I looking for this Christmas to be for me?    A long lie in, a family gathering, to have finished my Christmas shopping, for peace in Syria, for people to stop shooting other people. My longings go from self centred to global.  

But maybe these are all in some ways the surface issues, my longing (our longing?) is to be at peace.   If I can centre my longing on Jesus, to see him and stay with him, I can somehow walk through the other things, conflicts -  small, intimate  and global.  And find the ways in which he asks me to make a difference.   

Kirsty Hook