Today's Devotional Thought
December 19, 2016 by Wendy Foreman
This is Christmas
Every year at this time I tell myself that I am going to slow down and enjoy each celebratory moment of Christmas. Each party, each dinner, each program I attend, the laughter of family, the gifts that are given but most importantly in the midst of it all I tell myself not to miss the reason all of it even exists. The birth of the Savior of the world.
It's so busy this time of year. Walk into any mall or shopping center and you see people coming and going. They are trying to buy the perfect gift, in hopes that they will wow the person they are giving it to. Walk into any grocery store and people are purchasing the perfect ham, turkey, seafood, Italian food and all the side dishes to go with them to create the perfect dinner to go along with the perfect memories they are trying to create. Yep that about explains what most of us are trying to do. And let's not forget that for many of us we are attempting to do it on a shoestring budget and find ourselves paying for it the rest of the year and I ask you all for what? Could someone please tell me how any of that shows how we are celebrating the birth of Christ?
I don't want to sound like a scrooge at all. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I absolutely love Christmas. My house is decorated and I have the Christmas mugs, towels, rugs, candles, sweater and 7 Christmas trees, but this year my heart is unsettled more than ever. I recently have had several conversations with individuals who shared that this time of year for them is very stressful. It's seeing family they struggle to get along with, it is the perfect gift, perfect food, looking like you have the perfect home, can throw the perfect party and yet like I've already mentioned the birth of Jesus is lost in all of it.
So what is the solution?
I have tried to slow down the last few weeks and not be so focused on all the fringe stuff but be more focused during my quiet time on the birth of Jesus. I have several books that have been gifted to me about the women of Christmas, about the songs of Christmas and the stories behind them. Rachel and I wrote several devotionals about the Christmas story and had them put in book form for our Bible Study ladies for Christmas and I have been reading those. It has put my focus back on him.
As I have read the Christmas story and stopped to reflect on what it means to our lives I see the love that was so richly displayed by our Lord to send his son in human flesh to become the Savior of the world. HIs birth, sinless life, willingness to die on the cross, his resurrection well that is perfect love and that perfect love has given us hope, hope of eternal life, hope that one day all this pain, suffering, weariness will all go away and we will see Him face to face and all of life's struggles will have been worth it.
So this Christmas in the midst of all the busyness and for many sadness, which I think will always be, I challenge you to get alone with Him. To center your focus not on the gifts, the parties, the programs or even family but rather on the reason we do any of us, Jesus the Savior of the world.
From Rachel and I and our families to yours I pray that you have a very Merry Christmas and that 2017 will be filled with many blessings.
December