2 Corinthians 9:15 (NLT)
“Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!”
Have you ever been so involved with life or your project that you did not realize you missed an important date? How about thinking only about how something affects you, that you don’t recognize the person next to you? Maybe you spend so much time getting caught up with the rest of society that you forget why something really happens?
Our lives can get so busy that we may not even remember what day it is or when we wake up we are at the end of another week, month, or year. It is never good when we lose time like that because we forget important dates or events. This can add to any anxiety or depression we may already be experiencing from being overwhelmed.
I know that as I grow older, the days are flying by even faster than I remember from my younger years. I have also noticed that I have been guilty of letting the world lead me, rather than taking charge of my life in a way that is healthy. One big failure is that the drone of the social narrative can have me mentally in a place I should not be.
Whether it’s the latest advertising trends or an election, we can be constantly bombarded with information that is not good for us. It can shape our opinions in ways that we don’t want or are counter to what may be right. We see headlines or hear information that target people, groups, products, or events with negative or misleading information to get us to a place where others want us to go.
It doesn’t have to be advertising or social media, the people we work with, associate with, or meet at an event can cause us to change. The conversations or the situations can alter our opinions or what we really feel inside. Too often we may not even realize that it is happening until we look in the mirror and we cannot recognize the person staring back.
This happens even more at Christmas. We may have grown up in a family that was very active in the church and participated in pageants that told the story of Jesus’ birth. Or our earliest memory could be only of Santa, shopping, and parties. It doesn’t matter which group you belong to because much of the world keeps pushing the second one.
I remember a story from years ago which tells of a young boy, Peter, sitting outside his house. It is dark, but the house is all lit up with a loud party going on inside. As he is reaching up to dry the tears coming from his eyes, a noise startles him. When he turns around, another young boy is walking towards him.
The boy asks, “Why are you crying?” Peter takes a breath, “It’s my birthday and my family is more worried about their party that they forgot my birthday.”
The second boy comes closer, “I know how you feel, it’s my birthday too and people everywhere forgot mine.”
“I’m so sorry,” Peter says and gives the boy a hug.
“Happy birthday,” Peter continues. “What is your name so I can remember it?”
“Jesus.”
“Glad to meet you. What can I give you for your birthday?”
“Your loving hug and you remembering is all I need.”
Many of us have fallen prey to society taking Christ out of Christmas. We too get caught up in all the shopping and the parties that we forget what we are celebrating. When Jesus looks at us does he see you as Peter or one of the people at the party?
We should not forget that God’s plan for all mankind to be redeemed started with a baby. But He was so much more as we see in Isaiah 9:6, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
The scripture ends with many names for Christ, but as we see in the opening verse, we get an even better description, “A gift too wonderful for words.” No matter how hard we try we can never fully describe who Jesus truly is to us, but a gift is pretty accurate.
1 Peter 1:8-9 tells us how we should hold our Lord in our hearts, “You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.” Love, trust, and salvation. You can’t really express it much better.
During this Christmas season we need to really feel Paul’s desire for all who read his letter Romans 15:13, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
So, join me in singing praises to the Lord to celebrate His birth. Let Him fill you with peace and joy not only this holiday season, but all year long. Sleep securely in the knowledge that He came to save us from sin so we can be with Him forever. It is up to each of us to either choose what the world has to offer or the eternal love of our creator. I CHOOSE HIS LOVE!
HONORING MY BIRTH
I often don’t know what day it is with so much going on,
The weeks turn into months and soon the year is gone.
The holidays blend with other events that prolong the celebration,
It can even be a distraction to take my mind off everything I am facin’.
The truth these days seems less important than why things are done,
I feel that I don’t want to be restrained from doing what is fun.
Lord, I have to get back to a place where I have more control,
And even in the best of times I’m not compromising my soul.
Dear child, you have the free will to decide which path you will follow,
To live a life that fills you inside or one where you always feel hollow.
Just like when you celebrate during the Christmas season,
Are you truly for celebrating my birth or for another reason.
It is easy to get caught up in all the advertising and the distraction,
But you are the one who must break away from the attraction.
Open your up and search your heart for what’s important here on Earth,
Being swept away by all the worldly things or Honoring My Birth.
Simple Faith Christian
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Simple Faith Christian 