Bend. Your. Knees.

Every once in a while, I drift away. My faith doesn't weaken, but my focus does, as life's distractions get the best of me. I get carried away with philosophy, logic, rhetoric, and politics, and thinking I need to make a difference. People respond, and contrary to all good sense I think I'm somebody. When I lose my way, the balance shifts away from using the scientist's tools to light the Way to making sure and certain that everyone knows I'm somebody.

My knees need to bend.

I look forward to Christmas time every year, because without being conscious of it, I know what will happen. It's not the shopping, or the spirit of giving, or that it coincides with semester break, when the pace of academic life slows to a crawl and I get to do the things I've been pushing back during the semester. It's the songs. The fun, smarmy, magnificent, transcendental, gloriously uplifting and humbling songs.

And so it was recently, when words beautifully written long ago brought me back:

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel

Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

I love a good turn of phrase, and the second verse, quoted above, is a wonder of poetic construction and theological depth. Tears well, and I am driven down, down to the floor, down until I am in a reasonable spiritual posture to meet Him once again.

Even as a babe, He was my King. And it is only because I am His that I'm somebody.

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