Wrapped into Jesus

Ephesians 1: 3 “Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift from our wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus – all because he sees us wrapped into Christ.  This is why we celebrate him with all our hearts!

And he chose us to be his very own, joining us to himself even before he laid the foundation of the universe! Because of his great love, he ordained us so that we would be seen as holy in his eyes with an unstained innocence.

For it was always in his perfect plan to adopt us as his delightful children, through our union with Jesus, the Anointed One, so that his tremendous love that cascades over us would glorify his grace – for the same love he has for his beloved one, Jesus, he has for us.  And this unfolding plan brings him great pleasure….”

He sees us wrapped into Christ.  Think of that truth the next time you wrap gifts.  I am wrapped into Jesus, sharing his relationship with the Father, sharing his gifts, reaping the benefits of his relationship with his Daddy, who is now my Daddy.  So now I am Taffy in Christ, never just Taffy.  When Father God looks at me, he sees me in Jesus. No wonder Theresa Dedmon painted a smiling Jesus.  When God looks at his kids, he’s always smiling, because he sees us wrapped into Jesus, and Jesus always makes him smile.

If you’re not smiling when you look at yourself in the mirror, you may not be wearing the right lenses. Father God says he sees us wrapped into Christ.  If that’s not who you see, then who do you suppose needs new lenses?

For it was always in his perfect plan to adopt us as his delightful children.  It was his plan when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden.  It was his plan when he led the Israelites out of Egypt.  And it was his plan when he sent an angel to young Mary and told her the plans he had for her to bear the Christ child.  And Mary, drawn to the heart of God, obeyed and accepted her role in God’s plan.  She brought forth a son, named him Jesus, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes.

One morning as I was praying for my kids, my adult kids, God reminded me of “swaddling”.  I was taught by the nurses in the hospital in 1976 when my son, Jimmy was born, to lay him on a receiving blanket and fold it tightly around him.  It will comfort him, they told me, just as he was swaddled so tightly in my womb those last new weeks of pregnancy, so the tight blankets will actually soothe him.  

I saw Father God take my adult son, Jimmy, wrap him up like a little papoose and put him over his shoulder.  "It’s ok", he told me, "I’ve got him".  

"Will you hold me, too?", I asked, so he wrapped me up, too, and held me on his other shoulder for awhile.  Then it was time to go off to work.  I was in peace as I left my adult son, all wrapped up in Christ, with Father God as I went about my day.  

It’s a good thing to remember at Christmas, and every day in between, that he sees us wrapped into Christ. And we never have to take off the blanket, take off the wrapping. It’s permanent now.  I’m forever wrapped into Jesus!