The Gift of Christmas

Every year, it's kind of the same, isn't it? Christmastime comes around. We see the same sights, watch the same movies, hear the same songs, and listen to the same story. It's all so familiar. 

  the jingle bells

         the red and green lights

                   the piles of presents 

                               the waiting 

                                         and the little baby in the manger 

{via}

Honestly, I don't really think that's the way it's supposed to be. Christmas is the time of year that we've set aside to remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus! It's supposed to be a time of joy and hope and peace- not of stress and chaos and trouble. It's rather ironic, isn't it? With all the crazy rushing around that this time of the year tends to bring, I forget, too. I get worried and stressed about the presents to buy and wrap and the packages to mail and the parties to go to and the cookies to make...

All of those things are great and wonderful in their place! I love buying and giving gifts, and going to parties, and making cookies, and decorating. But that's not the point of the Christmas season. The point of the Christmas season is that God cared about us so much that He sent His perfect Son to be born as a baby and take on human form and live on earth as a man- all so He could grow up and be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. When I think about it that way, I'm suddenly not as concerned about that gift I  haven't bought yet and that party that I missed.

{via}

The first Christmas was nothing like what we usually imagine it as. It wasn't a perfect little scene in a clean stable with a few sheep standing around while Mary gazes at a baby with a halo around his head. In reality, it was a time of wondering and waiting and unfamiliarity. 

  the dusty and crowded roads

           the noise and chaos 

                     the unfamiliarity of it all 

                                the waiting 

                                          and the little baby in the manger 

Remember, this was Mary's first child, and she was most likely quite young- a teenager- when she was chosen to bear God's Son. I honestly can't imagine what she felt like during that time! But she did know that God had chosen her, and that His plans were infinitely the best.

{my pic}

With these thoughts in mind, I was thinking them over and feeling a bit ashamed of how many times I have heard or read the Christmas story this season, and how I've gotten so familiar with it that it didn't really effect me in the way that it should. I think all of us that have grown up hearing it every year can get like that sometimes. So I was trying to get back on track with remembering the real reason for this season and how unfamiliar and exciting and awe-striking it should be- and feeling rather guilty and un-joyful because of my previous mindset.

Then another thought came to mind. God sent the angels to tell the shepherds the good news, and they rejoiced! It was most certainly a time of rejoicing and celebration for those who knew and believed what had happened! It should be like that for Christians, too. With that in mind, it was much easier to get in the spirit of the holiday and be joyful again.

 So it's perfectly okay- and a blessing- to celebrate the season in the many different ways that we do. And I really think that when we do it with the right heart behind it, it truly honors Him. He gave the best gift of all to us, so we should be sharing that gift with others, especially this time of the year!

Even with only two days left until Christmas, it's not too late. We can still spread the love and joy and hope of this special season with others, and do it for the right reason. After all, the angels did say: "I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord."

Merry Christmas!

//Emily