Before we were parents, in order to help us know how much our lives were about to change, you could have given us objective facts about biology, or psychology, or the physiology of baby girls. But life wasn’t really altered until we experienced the subjective reality of love, that is, until our daughter arrived. The objective information was good, but it was the subjective reality that made all the difference to us. Her being born into our lives caused an explosion of risk, and love, and wildness, and living. There were difficult times, of course, but in retrospect, we name all of it good. Because it’s obvious now, that setbacks along the way weren’t setbacks at all. They were invitations to enjoy the subjective reality of love. Pain, and failures, and confusion, and problems didn’t really minimize our lives. They only created opportunity for the two of us, with her, to talk to each other, to hold each other, and to simply be together. It was, in fact, the time we spent in relationship with each other, and her, which wound up actually giving us a life.
And some people have a lot of objective facts about Jesus, and the Bible. They know about dates, times, science, genealogies, and theology. But, none of it really matters unless Jesus becomes a subjective reality for them. The objective is not bad, but it’s the subjective that makes all the difference. If they would allow Jesus to be born into their life it would cause an explosion of risk, and love, and wildness, and living. And for all who do, one day, they’ll look back and realize how obvious it was that nothing else really mattered. They’ll understand setbacks were just invitations to enjoy the subjective reality of love. They’ll think, “You know, the confusion, and credibility gaps, and doubt, and problems didn’t really minimize my life. They only created opportunity for me to talk to the Father, to be held by the Spirit, and simply to be together with Jesus.” And then it will dawn on them that it was, in fact, the time they spent in relationship with God, which wound up actually giving them a life.