Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture- “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Insight: If I am being honest, there have been Christmas’s in my past where I was left unfulfilled or even disappointed. Simply put, the event hadn’t lived up to the hype. But there is also a huge caveat: I wasn’t yet a Christian and so my whole focus was on material possessions and the expected “good feelings” of the day that in many cases seemed forced, counterfeit or honestly never materialized. I was looking at the “miracle” of Christmas through a very limited prism, which was mostly based on fear and lack even if I was too young to realize it at the time. In essence, I was hoping in something that even if it came in the form of temporary happiness of a present, I knew I was going to lose. As the quote from C.S. Lewis states, “we should never let our happiness depend on something we may lose.”
But since I became a follower of Christ, my entire Christmas experience has changed for the better. I have been made aware that the greatest gift I could ever receive has already been given to me in the form of Jesus Christ, who came to earth to save me from my sins, and I can never lose that gift, nor will it ever fade away. In fact, it is a gift that the more I spend time with it, the more joy and happiness it gives me. It never grows old and it never fades. Can you think of any gift you could buy at a store like that? Jesus brings joy that can permeate every cell of your body, and it is not circumstantial. He aligns our emotions whereby we look forward to what will be with a deep hope, and all grievances and hardships seem irrelevant. To quote C.S. Lewis again, we know that “there are far, far better things ahead than anything we could leave behind.” You see, what Christ has done in my life is to make Christmas not about me, and some frivolous presents that can leave me unfulfilled or even empty, but rather to make it about Him and His promises for the future glory that waits for us in His presence for eternity. That frees me up to be a giver and not a receiver in my posture, more worried about helping others than satisfying myself, because no gift other than Christ can ever really satisfy me for very long anyway. In many cases, our received “gifts” become burdens, but our heart bent towards helping others can leave us fulfilled for a very long time.
Christ is the greatest gift. God loved us so much that He Sent Him to us on earth as our lifeline that connected us to Heaven. Christmas has already been made perfect. We can’t ever lose sight of that. I understand pain and brokenness is real. I have been there many times in my life, and it was usually magnified during the Holidays when I was “supposed” to feel good, like I could just flip a switch. If you are searching for the Holiday joy today, focus on the gift that God has freely given us in His Son Jesus. C.S. Lewis said it best that “the Son of God became a man to enable men to become Sons of God.” Make that thought the centerpiece of your day and watch as the Joy of Christ washes over you and removes all the pain, depression and burden that you may be feeling. Christ doesn’t come wrapped in a box, with a tidy bow and ribbon upon it, yet He is the greatest gift you could ever receive and open.
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