Learning to appreciate the beauty of the Christmas season and God’s greatest gift of all can bring about much needed peace and hope.
Christmas Joy
It will soon be that special time of year again. A time when everyone is a little more friendly, our hearts a bit more full, and our outlook a bit less selfish. A time of family gatherings, delicious meals, and thoughtful gifts. A time for creating sweet memories as we pick the perfect tree together, enjoy sled rides and warm cups of cocoa by the fire, and are captivated by beautiful lights.
Christmastime.
I enjoy this time of year just as much as anyone, but in all honesty, I’m also typically counting down the days until everything goes back to normal again and the busyness and stress subside.
In years past I’ve been so guilty of spending all of my time and energy on finding the perfect gift for each and every person on my list, that it almost takes away from the excitement of it all. And in the process I end up shifting my focus away from what truly matters.
It is all too often my own worldly heart that gets in the way of my ability to clearly see the beauty of the gifts God has given me. Instead of standing in awe of them, I become distracted and focus on things that have little value.
God’s Greatest Gift
This year I want to do things differently.
I am praying for a heart that can see past the distractions. One that instead simply sees the beauty in His gifts. And the joy of God’s greatest gift of all.
The gift of my husband who continues to make me smile like no one else and is still my best friend. The gift of my children who have brought more laughter and joy into my life than I ever thought possible. The gift of my family and friends whose love and encouragement means more than they will ever know. The gift of my freedom. The gift of my health.
God has been so gracious in blessing me with these for now. And yet how humbling it is to be reminded that I don’t know how much time I have left with any of them.
There is one gift, however, that can never be taken away. The gift of my salvation. And it is through this one gift alone that I can see the beauty of all the others.
The Creator of the universe, the Maker of the stars and galaxies beyond our comprehension. The Painter of sunrises and sunsets that take our breath away. The Author of life… saw fit to create me.
He created me and every one of you out of love.
And with that same love…
Sent the gift of His precious Son to earth in the form of an innocent baby. A child who came for one purpose alone. To become a man and offer Himself as a perfect sinless sacrifice for our sins.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him…
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
((Isaiah 9:6, John 3:16-17, Romans 3:23, 6:23)
Whether we are willing to admit it or not I’m pretty sure that deep down we all know that we’ve messed up at some point in our lives, and typically mess up on a daily basis in some form or another. Our sin separates us from a holy God and we can never be good enough or earn our way back to Him.
However, His love for us is so great that He offered us a gift through His Son. A gift of pure grace, the gift of salvation.
You see, the thing about a gift is that it requires an action.
If someone kindly offers you a gift this holiday season and you simply choose to believe that the gift exists without offering some kind of action in return you will most likely do nothing more than insult the giver.
Believing in or knowing about the gift isn’t enough, you have to decide what you’re going to do with that gift. Will you reject it? “Accept” it as a polite gesture? Or genuinely and joyfully receive it?
Friend, until we understand the wickedness of our sin and are genuinely broken over it we will never see the need to receive the gift that Christ offers.
The Greatest Gift of All
Jesus paid the penalty for our sin so He could give us this gift, the gift of eternal life in heaven.
This Christmas season I think we can all find something to be grateful for. The very breath in our lungs is even a blessing. I genuinely hope that your holidays will be filled with joy as you gather with family and friends, but I’d also like to encourage you to not be distracted by the details.
God’s greatest gift has been waiting for you. What are you going to do with it?
Chrissie says
It is such a precious time when we’re prompted each year to narrow our focus and look at the gift Jesus is to us. It’s like each year He provides us this time to recalibrate, refocus and reign ourselves back in to Him. This is the perfect gift, the gift that truly keeps on giving. Thank you for sharing how He’s doing that in you. Bless you xx
Tabatha says
I couldn’t agree more, Chrissie, and am so grateful that He gives us this opportunity each year to remember what is truly important and why we are here. Thank you for the kind comment!
Stephanie says
I’ve definitely been guilty of getting caught up in all of the distractions. I’m working on being more intentional this season. I have so much to be grateful for for.
Tabatha says
Thank you for the comment, Stephanie! It is good to know that I’m not the only one who struggles in this area. You’re right that we all have so much to be grateful for. It’s amazing that when we shift our focus to where it needs to be that the stress and distractions slowly fade away.
Fleda Bennie says
Beautiful post. This is a time of miracles and pressure, peace and distraction. Your reminder of what really matters is beautiful.
Tabatha says
Thank you for your kindness and encouragement, Fleda!
Stephanie says
Beautiful! This is the true meaning of Christmas! With my family I started Shepherd on the Search to focus on the true meaning of Christmas!
Tabatha says
Thank you so much for your kind comment and taking the time to read, Stephanie! I have never heard of Shepherd on the Search before, but it sounds like something that would be perfect to do with our children =) Thank you for sharing!
Amber Hurley says
Jesus is our lord and savior and I am so glad I believe in him. Thank you for this post!
Tabatha says
I am so thankful that He came to save us, Amber. Thank you for reading!
Alyssa H says
Beautiful words! I also totally agree that it’s important to understand that any “gift” requires action.
Tabatha says
Thank you for the kind reply, Alyssa!
Avanti Chaturvedi says
I’m a Hindu so I don’t celebrate Christmas (of course, I eat rum cake though!) But everything you said resonates so well with my ideologies too. I think there’s beauty in celebrating diversity as well!
Tabatha says
Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to read, Avanti!
Ellen Mika Zelasko says
What a beautiful reminder to slow down and focus on what really matters this Christmas season and always. Jesus.
Tabatha says
Thank you for the kind comment, Ellen =) Yes, I agree, He is where our focus should be not only this time of year, but each and every day throughout the year.
Jazmine says
Such a beautiful write-up. Brought my to tears, I really needed to read this today! Thank you for sharing.
Tabatha says
Thank you for your sweet comment and for taking the time to read, Jazmine!
Samantha says
A beautiful reminder as to what really matters. Thanks for sharing this. It really is so easy to get caught up in the “perfection” of this holiday and lose sight of the reason and things that matter.
Tabatha says
Thank you for the kind comment, Samantha =) There definitely is a lot of peace that comes with slowing down a bit and remembering what truly matters.
Beth Steffaniak says
I’m so glad you shared this post, Tabatha! It truly needs to be the challenge we keep in front of us during this season. We can get so distracted by all the gifts, gift-giving and decorating that we miss Christ–the One we’re supposed to be celebrating! Thanks for this encouraging word and I’ll be pinning and tweeting it, my friend!
Tabatha says
Thank you for the encouraging words, Beth! It can be difficult in our fast paced society to slow down and keep Christ at the center, but there is so much joy that flows when we do. He is an amazing Savior!