I bet you didn’t know there was a ladybug in the nativity. There’s one in mine anyway. A small glass manger scene that I kept on my window sill in my childhood—ladybug included—would look very much at home in a flea market or secondhand store today.
This simple nativity takes me back to when I was a girl with so many questions. What happens when we die? Is there a God? I got confusing answers ranging from the biological (“We decompose,”) to theories (“Man invented God to make us feel better about things we’re afraid of,”) to comparisons that likened God to mythological Greek gods. I knew there had to be more than decomposition, fiction, and Zeus riding across the sky in a chariot.
These little figurines were beautiful to my little eyes. I think they also spoke a truth to my young, seeking heart. When I actually realized the real meaning of both Easter and Christmas as a freshman in college, it was such a holy moment.
I might just keep them out this year. I’ll tell the story to my kids. I’ll answer all their questions with truth and life. And I’ll tell them how God does ride across the heavens—but, like Deuteronomy 33:26 says, He does it looking to help us.
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