By the time Christmas came in 1992, I was obsessed with power. The Dallas Cowboys were unstoppable going into the playoffs and were only one month away from trouncing the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII. When my fellow sixth graders and I weren’t discussing the Cowboys, we were talking about the professional wrestling prowess of Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior. And in my youth group, I was mesmerized by the older teenagers who had gigantic speakers in their cars and could play bass so loud it would send ripples across my t-shirt.

If it was bigger, louder, faster, and stronger … it had my attention.

So it might not come as a surprise that I had a bad attitude about being in our small church’s Christmas musical. Musicals didn’t exactly move the needle on my “power meter.” Not to mention, I was cast as a donkey and didn’t have any lines. It was probably the least powerful role in the play—except for the baby Jesus. After all, a plastic baby doll wrapped in dish towels doesn’t exactly scream strength.

It was completely lost on my 12-year-old mind that the Baby in the manger was the same Person who referred to Himself as “Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13 ESV). Carelessly I thought, that’s not what real power looks like. But I was wrong. In the kingdom of God, power looks like humility, leaders look like servants, wealth looks like generosity, revenge gives way to forgiveness.

Today, I can look back and laugh at my naivety, but sometimes my 44-year-old mind still fails to see Jesus’ power. There are times I feel stressed, wondering how I’m going to provide for my growing family. Will I be able to give them the Christmas I want them to have? There are times I beat myself up for the sin in my life. Can I be “good enough” to avoid it next time? Then there are times when I don’t allow Jesus to be the “first” or the “last” in my life, thinking I can make it without His help. The truth is, Jesus wants to take care of all that for me, and I know I can trust His power over my own.

Throughout the Advent season, you’ll undoubtedly see the newborn Jesus around—probably in someone’s yard decorations or on a Christmas ornament. He may appear powerless in plastic form, but I want to encourage you to reflect on the true power He gives us. He is All-Powerful, so He can be our strength. He is Peace, so He can end our worry. He is Love, so we can trust He will complete the things He began in our lives. “Who has done such mighty deeds . . . from the beginning of time?” He says to us, “It is I, the Lord, the First and the Last. I alone am He” (Isaiah 41:4 NLT).

That’s the kind of power I’m obsessed with this Christmas!