The world we live in is changing
faster than most people can keep up. Our
phones have become computers, we can tell virtual assistants to turn the lights
on, thermostats can adjust the temperature by the hour and Amazon seems to know
what we want before we do. People
constantly walk around for extended periods of time without seeing anything but
their telephone and a lot of people had rather send someone a text than talk to
them in person. Christmas has turned
into a celebration of lights, toys, malls, shopping, gifts, and parties. Who cares about the true meaning of
Christmas? Does it really matter at this
point?
I cannot imagine what Mary was
going through over 2000 years ago. She
had to be worried. She had to have a LOT of questions. And what was Joseph thinking taking her as
his wife? They had to leave their own
town and travel to the small village of Bethlehem and didn’t even have a room
for the night. They had to stay in a
stable with a bunch of animals. Are we
really to believe that the Son of God was actually born on the ground…..in a
barn….among animals? Well, I don’t know
about you, but that is exactly what I believe.
I don’t know why the circumstances
existed for the birth of our Savior to happen the way it did, but I certainly
believe it. Jesus was not born into
privilege, in a sanitary environment with a trained medical staff. He was born as any other common baby would
be. But the world knew. The wise men knew and traveled great distances
to honor him. Mary and Joseph knew and
had been visited by angels to let them know that everything would be ok. A star appeared to indicate that this birth
was nothing less than miraculous. The
baby in the manger eventually became the King on the cross.
I have grown up my entire life
hearing stories from the Bible. I had a
youth minister named Philip Smith that I became good friends with as I grew
older. He always offered good advice and
gave me encouragement every time I saw him.
I’ve known some great preachers in my life that have delivered some
terrific sermons on Sundays. I’ve been surrounded by people of faith that have
always stressed the importance of prayer.
But my faith is not the result of the people around me or their beliefs.
That certainly gave me exposure to the
Bible, church and Christianity. But, the
reason for my faith is because of something that’s inside me. I’ve always had an inner feeling that has
removed all doubt in my faith in Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior. Through good times, hard times, happy times, stressful
times, and sad times, my faith has stayed the same. I don’t know why many things happen and I don’t
like bad things to happen at all. But I
believe there is a reason.
We all
have so much to be grateful for. We live
in a free country where we have access to anything we need. We have the freedom to do whatever we want,
visit family and friends, access to exceptional medical treatment, provide for
our families and live in comfortable conditions. Christmas is always humbling when you
consider people that are struggling in some way. We all have challenges sooner or later. That’s why I think its so important to spend quality
time with family and friends during Christmas because you just never know when
circumstances will change by the next year.
It’s amazing that the birth of a baby over 2,000 years
ago saved all of us. The simple answer
to my first question is that we should ALL care about the true meaning of Christmas. It’s been one of the most important aspects
of my own life. And the answer to my
second question is that not only does the true meaning of Christmas matter, but
it’s never been more important than it is to the world we live in today.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and I hope you have some time to relax, rest and spend time with the ones you love.
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