bible

Born in a Barn

/ Kimberly Fraker / Leave a comment

 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 

Luke 2:10-12

Have you ever heard someone say, “Were you born in a barn?” It’s usually a playful (but sometimes frustrated) remark made when someone leaves a door open or neglects to close something correctly. The saying points to the idea of a person not having manners or not paying attention to the little details that matter with the implication that barns are cold, drafty, and not the most ideal place for a person to be born among the dirt and animals. 

During this season of Christmas, we are reminded that Jesus was, in fact, born in a barn – a stable – a humble, ordinary place, far from where we would imagine the birthplace for the King of kings. In this most humble of settings, the Savior of the world was placed in a feeding trough … a manger … when He made His entrance into humanity. This unexpected setting is rich with meaning for us today.

As we take a few moments to reflect on the significance of this most modest of beginnings, the significance is profound. 

Jesus’ birth in the stable with a manger as a cradle was no accident. It wasn’t about being “born in a barn” for simplicity or poverty. It was more deliberate than that. God allowed His Son to enter this world in a way that made it clear that the Kingdom of God doesn’t operate like the kingdoms of this world. His kingdom is not about wealth, power, or privilege. His kingdom is about humility, service, and love.

Through the lowly circumstances of His birth, Jesus demonstrated that He could relate to ordinary people. That he could understand their brokenness, challenges, and struggles. He didn’t wait for the perfect circumstances. His birth was a miracle in the midst of a mess. Our mess, our imperfections, and our need. And that is the heart of the message – Jesus entered the world as one of us, sharing in our humanity and not as a distant, untouchable king.

Isn’t this what we need? A Savior who is near, who is accessible, and who understands the struggles of ordinary, everyday life. A Prince of Peace whose love and grace covers us all. 

Sometimes you may feel like you’re not good enough or that your circumstances are too messy for God to make a difference. But the birth of Jesus reminds us that God can take the most ordinary places, the humblest beginnings, and turn them into something extraordinary. No matter how scarred or imperfect our lives appear, God can and will come into our hearts and work through each of us.

The message of Christmas — the message of Jesus being born in a barn — is that God is near. Because He is near, we can come to Him with our worries, our doubts, our sorrows, and our insecurities as well as, our joys and our triumphs. No matter where we are and no matter who we are, Jesus is accessible to us all.

When you’re feeling insignificant or facing difficulties, remember the light of God shines brightest during our darkest times. If God could step into a barn in Bethlehem long ago and change the world, imagine what He can do in the “barns” of our own lives today.

Merry Christmas to all!

Grand Plans

/ Kimberly Fraker / 1 Comment

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb …Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”   Psalm 139: 13, 16

There is nothing like the joy, hope, and dreams brought about upon the birth of a child. I remember when my own children were born and the way I looked at them in awe of their newborn perfection. It didn’t take long for me to begin formulating grand plans about what they each would do, be, and become in their lifetime. I imagined them having the same wonderful experiences I had with friends and in school and in church. I wanted them to grow up exactly like me! 

There was only one problem. Nothing stays the same. The world changed. Society changed. 

The world my children came to know and be a part of was very different from the world I knew as a child and young adult. The technology alone had an enormous influence on that. I was saddened that my children wouldn’t be reliving the happy, seemingly simple pleasures I knew as a child but excited about the possibilities I saw unfolding for them. Possibilities I could not have fathomed from my background and personal frame of reference. 

Even in the excitement of all the positive things I witnessed as my own children changed and grew, I couldn’t let go of all the grand plans I had for their lives. In my normal motherly way, I pushed them. Pushed them to make the choices I thought were best. Pushed them to do the things I wanted them to do. Pushed them away from influences I found detrimental to their goals … their goals which were really my goals. 

With all the wants I had for their lives came the worries as well. What if they don’t do … be … or become? I pride myself on expecting the unexpected – but what if something unexpected happened? 

Guess what? It did. 

My two beautiful, wonderful children grew up and did a lot of unexpected things. Many truly awesome and some that tried my soul. 

Have you read The Power of a Praying Parent or The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children by Stormie Omartian? A friend gave me one of those books and the other I picked up for myself. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner – Praying, I mean. 

Of course, I prayed all along the way but not the intentional, focused prayers of the parent I wanted to be. So, I became one eventually and intentionally … a praying parent who realized only God is in control and that only He knows the real grand plan for each of us – even my children. I realized these two humans I raised to be independent really were. Making their own choices. Living their own lives. 

Guess what? It is all turning out just as God planned. In God’s perfect timing.

Last week, we became grandparents for the first time. Grandparents of not one but two beautiful babies … twins, a boy and a girl. In their first few days of life, I once again found myself gazing at them in awe of their newborn perfection with grand plans entering my mind. This time, of course, everything is even more GRAND – the grand plans of a grandparent. 

Guess what? Things are different this time. 

I am much more at peace with the grand plan for each of their lives because of Psalm 139: 13, 16. I know the wants and worries are not gone for good, but I have them in perspective now. God knows these babies. He saw their unformed bodies before they were introduced to us, and He knows every day that they have yet to live. 

Guess what? I find that comforting and powerful. 

In this same way, God knew me and you when we were in our mothers’ wombs. All our days are written in His book. He saw this day coming way before I did. I am thankful He has gone before me and is beside me – every day.

We have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving and beyond. Each person is a blessing and each day a gift to be enjoyed. 

Keep making those grand plans (I know I will) but know who has the master plan. Embrace the comfort and power of His plan.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Glory Days

/ Kimberly Fraker / Leave a comment

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Do you ever catch yourself reminiscing, your mind drifting back in time – thinking of “the good old days”? I do. If you don’t, you’re just not old enough yet. Just wait – you will.

It happens unexpectedly – memories brought back by a song or experience causing you to long for that time again. Maybe those memories are the antics or achievements of your youth. Maybe you have memories of the bygone glory of a professional peak. Mine are a little of each. (cue Bruce Springsteen … )

Glory Days. 

My mind knows it’s impossible to have any of that again, but my heart sometimes aches for the high times – causing me to wish I had enjoyed things more in the moment. The first friends who’ve moved on … infants that are now adults … those loved and lost … challenges faced and overcome … simple success of a job well done … fleeting spotlight moments and momentary accolades. 

Glory Days.

In our lifetime, we journey through different stages. When we leave one, we cross into the next leaving behind what we will later call Glory Days. 

As we grow and mature entering each new season (so to speak), it’s easy to get stuck reliving those Glory Days gone by making it hard to see those high times that surely lie ahead – those we have yet to experience.

Today, if you’re stuck thinking all those Glory Days are over and done – remember those moments aren’t one and done. No matter what stage of life you are in now, there are more of those memorable moments ahead. If you can’t see more of the great things for which you are destined, pray and ask God what He has in store for you next. 

Turn to the scriptures and be reminded that the ultimate glory days are ahead. One day, we will reach the final stop on our journey through time and bask in the ultimate glory God has planned for us. Then, all those times from the past for which we have longed will pale in comparison. 

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:40

He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:14

Show and Tell

/ Kimberly Fraker / Leave a comment

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.                              Micah 6:8

When I was in kindergarten and first grade, an opportunity was given to students on a rotating basis to bring in an item from home to show the class and tell about it. I have fond memories of Show and Tell time. Sometimes the teacher would pick a theme like a favorite book or a topic that complimented a lesson and occasionally it was left open for whatever each child felt was important or interesting to bring and share. 

I remember my teacher explaining how Show and Tell would work by modeling it for us. She brought in her favorite book and walked us through the process of what we should do when it was our turn to share. 

I loved Show and Tell. I liked seeing things brought in by my friends and learning more about each classmate. But mostly, I enjoyed it when it was my turn to participate. I can remember carefully selecting just the right item and how excited I was to explain it to the others in my class. Once it was a puppet and another time a picture and later a book.

I have always been a rule follower and somewhat of a teacher pleaser, so when my turn came, I was careful to follow the example set by my teacher; consequently, it frustrated me when others did not. I wasn’t sure why that one child brought in a stuffed animal when the teacher clearly instructed us to bring in a picture of a favorite toy or why that one boy kept asking if he could bring in his lizard when the teacher said, “No live animals.” Come on, people – get with the program!

Micah 6:8 reminds me of Show and Tell time. Jesus came to Earth and showed us what is good and pleasing and the Bible tells us clearly what is required of us. Simply stated in this verse, we are told to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. Each of these things were modeled by Jesus and are reflected in scripture. Now, it is our turn to put that into practice. To Show and Tell others so they will know too. 

Why, then, does this seem so hard? 

To act justly, I should treat all people with dignity and respect. I need to do what I say I will do, say what I mean, and mean what I say. To act justly requires action. When injustices are seen, we should seek to correct those. It sounds simple enough, but it gets complicated when our personal feelings cloud our judgement. It can be hard to empathize with others who are not like us. Instead of sitting on the sidelines and remaining silent, we are called to exercise empathy and take action. 

So, how about loving mercy? This is often compared to kindness and extending kindness to others. Let’s be clear about this and what it means. It means extending kindness to ALL others, not just the ones who can do something for us or the ones who are like us or the ones who are kind to us. It means extending kindness to the people who upset you, to the people you don’t understand, and to those who you know nothing about and who can do nothing for you. Loving mercy means extending forgiveness too – ouch! That can be a difficult one.

Act justly … love mercy … 

Now, all you need to do is walk humbly with your God. We each must accept that we are dependent on God. We should not be arrogant and put ourselves above others. We must acknowledge that all that we have is from God. Without Him, we are nothing. This can be hard to swallow – a piece of humble pie so to speak. We grow up learning to be independent – to be out on our own. Just like when my young child pushed me away and said he could do things all by himself. We do that to God. We think we don’t need Him. We push Him away. We want to do things all on our own. As adults we must revisit this concept of independence where God is concerned. Walk humbly. Be subordinate to His will in our lives.

Act justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. 

Show and Tell.

Now it’s your turn. Think of the example set by Jesus and the teachings in your Bible. Use these as a guide. 

Come on, people – get with the program! Show and Tell.

Roles and Responsibilities

/ Kimberly Fraker / Leave a comment

(Sorry for the lag since my last post. September in Georgia was challenging and devastating for many. In one month, there was a tragic school shooting, Hurricane Helene, and then a massive chemical fire. Consequently, I took a few weeks to step back and remain silent as I felt my fervent prayers were more beneficial than any post or posts I could author. I find at times there is great power in silence – more on that in a future post. As I continue to pray for those in our state and those in neighboring states still reeling and beginning slowly to recover from the events of September, I am getting back to the blog and offering reminders to all that God is in control and working for our good.)

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.             Isaiah 9:6

I learned very early, at the age of 15, that when you accept a job it comes with an established set of responsibilities associated with the role of the position. The employer has specific expectations for the performance of your duties. From my first job at the local community pool to various positions at a popular amusement park to opportunities in the field of advertising and public relations to my career in education, the responsibilities grew along the way in proportion to the position and my experience. 

We each have work-related expectations and duties, but we also have less official roles and responsibilities that we fulfill in our lives. I am wife, mom (and a dog and cat mom too), daughter, sister, niece, cousin, aunt, in-law, friend, volunteer, and soon-to-be grandmama. With each of these informal titles there are obligations and expectations too. Add all your personal accountabilities together with those that go along with your paying job and the total most likely exceeds your capacity for performance. 

For example, you may be exceeding those expectations at the office but as a result you won’t be winning spouse of the year. Or you may be the exemplar for the model parent but to maintain that you miss a deadline or two on the job. It is definitely a balancing act. I often tell people if things are good at home and stressful at work (or vice versa), I’m good. It’s when both are rocky that I’m in real trouble. 

Being all things to all people in all roles is an impossible expectation; however, many of us place that on ourselves. Superman got nothing on me* – right? Wrong. None of us are superhuman and we can never consistently be everything for everyone in our lives. But there is someone who can. 

Upon birth, Jesus was given some very weighty roles and responsibilities: Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace. He is our Mighty God. This is what we need to remember when we feel the pressure of those accumulated expectations of all the roles we play in our lives. To balance our roles and responsibilities we can lean on the one who can do it all. The one who can be all things to all people. Everything to Everyone. 

Are over extended?  Are some things slipping on your list of responsibilities? If so, slide those things right over to the Everlasting Father. He will help you strike the perfect balance.

The weight of the world is on His shoulders. It doesn’t have to be on yours.

*Charlie Puth lyric from “One Call Away”