December 18

This morning, the kids took part in our church's first Nativity play in quite a few years. Abby was Mary, Isaac was the third innkeeper and a scripture reader, and Brady was a shepherd. Lambie also made an appearance as a sheep. A friend suggested that Brady carry him, and oh, what it did to my heart to see him up there representing Logan. As the youngsters like to say, it brought all the feels (and then some). And in a decidedly bittersweet but overwhelmingly good way.

They all did a great job. There were moments of audience laughter, like when Abby and her Joseph, who stands more than a foot shorter than she, "rode" their donkey into Bethlehem, and when the little sheep plunked himself down during a carol and proceeded to pick his nose for a good 30 seconds.

But it was beautiful, too, because it's a truly beautiful thing to see children uniting to re-enact the story of Jesus' birth. These sweet little ones showed up, learned their lines, and with an innocence that fades after childhood draws to a close, helped to share the Gospel in a way that adults simply cannot. And for that blessing, I'm thankful.