Where's Your Center?

I overheard a couple gals in a store the other day saying how Christmas is only for kids, that kids are the only important factor about Christmas, and if there aren't kids around, there's no point in celebrating Christmas. I have been thinking about that, and while kids can make Christmas fun and special, they are not the reason for Christmas. Well, I take that back. ONE baby, one child is the reason for Christmas. Christmas is not about presents, it's not about cookies, it's not about a perfectly decorated home and tree, nor is it about cards and letters, or parties. Christmas in about a baby. A baby born in a stable in Bethlehem. It's about God sending down His son for you. For me. It's about a life being brought into this world to save mankind from their sins. Yes, it helps to have a childlike wonder as we think of the baby in the manger, and we worship Him for His gift to each of us. Unfortunately, many children in this day and time we live in do not know about the child who came for them, and they miss the wonder of His birth, the star, the shepherds, and the angels. They miss the miracle of a virgin birth by a young woman who was obedient to God, and favored by God. They miss the teaching that Christmas is not about how much they get, but how much was given for them. Children are not the only ones missing this message. Most of our society is missing, forgetting this message. Many hearts have been taught about Jesus, but many have let presents and worldly things replace the true meaning of this season. His presence. Many shift their focus, and Jesus is the last thing that most people think about at Christmas. We allow our hearts to get so preoccupied with busyness, to do lists, and decorating that we forget to stop and remember why we celebrate, we forget to focus on the manger and the baby who came for one reason....to save you and to save me. I am guilty of running so fast, I forget to stop and worship. I am guilty of busyness crowding my mind and not taking the time to focus on the true meaning, the only reason that matters, for Christmas. God has definitely been working on me the past few days and trying hard to center me, to show me that none of that matters, just Him, His Son, His Word.

My heart has been experiencing grief over the way I see how Christmas is being treated, and how Jesus has been forgotten. He waits. He waits for us to turn our hearts towards Him, and to remember, to focus on the manger, to remember to draw peace from Him as we sit in wonder of what He gave for us.

My center has been off, but it has come back to where it should be. Jesus. Where's your center this Christmas? What is most important to you? Where's your focus? What do others see when they look at you, and how you treat this Christmas? If you are a believer, do they see Jesus? If you aren't a believer are you willing to truly search out Jesus and explore the Bible for the gift He has given to you? It's all there, His love poured out across the pages. The book of Matthew or Luke would be a great place to start your journey.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Luke 2:6-12