CHRISTMAS AT THE MOVIES | A Christmas Story
Read | Philippians 2:5-11
“You’ll shoot your eye out…”
A desperate desire squelched by an ominous warning.
If you let it, this quote surfaces memories. Memories of childhood don’ts and warnings. The fear of consequences for taking a risk before you’re ready. The penalty for laziness, fun or failure. Good warnings that protect us when we’re young.
However, as we grow up the protection becomes paralysis. We insulated from failure and loss and now cannot experience it. We’ve been ironically blinded by our personal, “You’ll shoot your eye out.” If only we had been given a warning for the warnings.
In contrast the Christmas season looks forward, not toward consequences, but love. Jesus reveals his love by ignoring the warnings and moving toward us with vulnerability. He comes into the world, unexpectedly, as a child. His message is a love that leads to freedom.
Jesus reframes, “You’ll shoot your eye out” not as a warning, but a prophecy. You will shoot your eye out, we all will. So Jesus takes the metaphorical bb, for you. He offers to endure the consequence and replace our childhood warnings with infinite and overflowing love. Love that reaches us precisely at our most vulnerable moments.
Reflect | Will you let your inner warnings be overshadowed by love?