“While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a feeding trough—because there was no room for them at the lodging place.”
- Luke 2:6-7 HCSB
There’s something about quiet mornings that can slow us down just long enough to remember what matters.
Maybe it’s the way the coffee permeates the room like a whispered prayer.
Maybe it’s the way winter light seems softer this time of year, as if even the sun bends low to honor the season.
And somewhere in all that stillness, the thought comes to mind:
Jesus—the Alpha and the Omega—started His earthly story in a cave meant for farm animals.
Not a palace.
Not a temple.
Not even a respectable spare room.
Just a drafty, dim, manure-scented stable where the only warmth came from the animals nearby. The King of all creation, the One who spoke galaxies into being, the One who stands at both the first page and the last chapter of history—He began here, wrapped in cloth, laid in a manger.
If you and I were writing the script, we’d never start the Savior that way. But God seems to love beginnings that don’t look like much… until they suddenly mean everything.
Maybe that’s why Revelation 22:13 hits so hard:
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
The baby in the straw is also the Author of time.
The helpless newborn is the One who holds every moment in His hands.
The One who entered quietly will return unmistakably.
And here’s the part that finds its way into our hearts:
If He chose humble surroundings for His arrival, He can handle the humble surroundings of our life too.
Our small beginnings.
Our hidden battles.
Our less-than-perfect story.
Our manger moments.
He knows how to step into them—gently, fully, and with purpose.
The Alpha is never early.
The Omega is never late.
And the One who stands outside time is not startled by anything inside our day.
So today, let this truth settle in our heart and mind:
The Child in the manger is the King on the throne.
The One who began in humility will end all things in glory.
And the Savior who holds the universe together is more than capable of holding you.
Lord Jesus, thank You for entering our world in humility and for reigning now in majesty. Help me trust You as the Beginning and the End, the One writing my story with purpose and grace. Let Your peace settle over my heart today. Amen.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
