Hello, I want to take the time to thank all of you for your great comments and to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! I haven’t written for a few days because, like many of you, I was extremely busy. How was your Christmas? I hope it was truly blessed. I had to work on Christmas and was a bit sad, but being in the healthcare industry, I had no choice. There is no place like home, especially for the holidays! I soon got over feeling sorry for myself when I realized that those people didn’t want to be there either. They wanted to be home with their families also. I would eventually go home when my shift ended but they couldn’t. I was moved to tears when I noticed how excited they were to see their family members coming in to visit them on Christmas Eve and bring a Poinsettia or a piece of their favorite cherry pie. Their faces just lit up. I decided then and there that if I could bring a smile to their face or say that special word of hope and encouragement, I would benefit from it as much as they would.
There are so many blessings that we can find about Christmas. We can be a blessing to others if we let God show us where we are needed. I was listening to the news a few days ago. They were telling about how many people were waiting in line to see the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. They said that everyone that came out after seeing it said they would never be the same again. Their life was changed after witnessing firsthand the place where Jesus was born.
I was reading the Christmas story in my bible in Luke. I was amazed by the awesome love of God. He came to earth in the form of a tiny baby. He was the king of Glory, but sent to earth as a humble child. Being the Son of God, he could have come as a Royal King with a majestic throne, but instead, he chose to come as a tiny baby to be born in a stable surrounded by animals, because there was no room for him in the inn. God could have arranged it all differently if he so desired, but I really believe God planned it this way to show us that he lowered himself down to our earthly level. He didn’t have to do it but he wanted lay down his life for you and I. That was God’s way of reaching the human race by becoming like one of us to show us his great love. His love can reach down from heaven to our human frailties across any barriers. There is no division between God and man because of his beloved Son, Jesus.
Sometimes, it’s hard to fathom and really grasp that someone could love you that much. If more people could really get that deep in their hearts, they would be so much better off. They are never alone even if it feels like it sometimes. To think that the Son of God was born in a manger surrounded by barn yard animals, just blows me away! They had no room for him in the very beginning. Wow! What a message! How humble could he be? I believe that God wanted us to know that the life he was called to live for you and I was never easy from the very start. He suffered the same day to day struggles much like you and I, with one of the biggest ones being rejection.
This was no ordinary baby, but everything about his birth was ordinary. His mother was just a young girl from an ordinary family, but she was handpicked by God as a virgin to give birth to a long awaited Messiah. Can’t you just picture it? On the night of Jesus’ birth, there were shepherds in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night when an Angel of the Lord appeared before them and the Glory of the Lord surrounded them. They had the same reaction that most of us would have. They were terrified! But, the Angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Can you see the Wise Men following that star to where the baby could be found? They were looking for a great King. That star led them on and on to the quiet peaceful place where Jesus lay on a bed of hay.
So today, as I reflect over the Christmas story, I must ask you a question. Do you have room for him in your life today? Will you let him in? He doesn’t ask for much. Will you let him pick up all the broken pieces and fit them back together again? He won’t judge you. He doesn’t care where you’ve been. All he asks is that you start afresh and give him a chance. Will you make room for Him today? Just like those shepherds, maybe you are afraid also. He would say to you in his gentlest voice, “Do Not Be Afraid. There Is News Of Great Joy Just For YOU!
No matter how chaotic my life gets, I can feel him ever so close. Like the Wise Men, I will follow that Star. I will follow the light of his life. I will let him lead me to that place he wants me to be in. As I commit my days to him, there is a heavenly peace that transcends over me. It is that same peace that came to earth on that holy night when God reached down and became man, and that tiny infant was every bit God!
Can you not fathom the depth of His love for you? He loves the ordinary, the unlikely person who thinks their life is all washed up. It’s never too late with him! Love came down that first Christmas and he will always be with you. God is all love. He is everything good! He gives us so many gifts and they are all free. He gives joy, hope, peace, strength and the greatest gift, LOVE!
O TASTE AND SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD!
Luke 4:18-19
Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”