saltandlight

I heard someone make the comment the other day that they are just ready for Christmas to be over with!  All of the hustle and bustle and stress that comes along with the materialism of Christmas undoubtedly has gotten the best of some of us. And I completely understand because I have felt the same way in years past.

But, what a sad statement to make!  Think about what we are celebrating.  That’s like saying to someone that you love that you are so ready to get their birthday over with! Christmas is not about us.  Not at all! It’s not even about our children.  I don’t have to tell you why we celebrate Christmas, it’s the birth of our Savior. We celebrate Him and Him alone.

For some, Christmas has become all about the gifts and getting together with family.  For some it is all about giving of ourselves. For some, it is a lonely time of year.  I love all of the things about Christmas that everyone else does.  The lights, the Christmas songs, the food, getting together with family, giving gifts.  There is nothing wrong with these things, unless we are placing those things ahead of Jesus.  It must be all about Him or we have completely missed the point!

We can very easily get so caught up in the busyness of the holiday that we burn ourselves out to the point that we are ready to get it over with. When we get to that point, it is easy to adapt a rude or hateful spirit.  We get there without even realizing it.

I want to encourage you today to take time during the next few days to get alone with God. Once you have spent some time in His presence, you will find your spirit is much more at peace. Besides, the BEST present we can give to Jesus for Christmas is ourselves. That’s all He wants from us.  It’s amazing that He only wants to spend time with us, but we are the ones that benefit from time spent with Him!

Spend some time reflecting on the scriptures in Luke Chapter 2.  Remember how simple that first Christmas was. And remember that the gospel story doesn’t stop at the baby in the manger. He didn’t come just for us to worship a baby in a manger, He came to save the world from our sins!