Osler's Razor

Even though Christmas has consumed most of the month of December (and sometimes most of November, too) in the commercial calendar, in the Christian calendar the holiday does not begin until today. Advent is over, that period of patient waiting, and a time of wonder and celebration begins.

I was in a line recently, and the couple in front of me had a newborn baby. It was tiny and wrapped up tight, fast asleep.  The parents looked completely exhausted, and yet exhilarated-- this mix of weary and joyful.  They couldn't believe that it had happened, that this baby had been born; they kept peeking under the blanket to see their child.

A baby, a newborn, is all potential. There is nothing yet to judge him or her on. Their timeline is an arrow, pointing out towards the future. Any hope or dream can be pinned to that child, and each of those hopes and dreams has a chance of coming to fruition.

How different that is than my own faith, laden down with rules and theological conflict and the expectations of others! Maybe I have lost track of that sense of freedom that comes with this child's birth, the wonder and joy.

But I can change that.