the greatest christmas gift

"Let us today go down to Bethlehem, and in company with wondering shepherds and adoring Magi, let us see him who was born King of the Jews, for we by faith can claim an interest in him, and can sing, 'Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.' Jesus is Jehovah incarnate, our Lord and our God, and yet our brother and friend; let us adore and admire."

-Charles H. Spurgeon 

This season has become something that it was never meant to be. It's supposed to be a season of patience, waiting, peace, and wonder, and yet it has become the complete opposite. It's full of hurry, rush, and stress, and I'm sure if you ask many people how they feel during the Christmas season, none of them are going to say they feel peaceful. The hurry begins once the leaves begin to change from green to yellow to red. As soon as the air starts getting crisper, everyone's mindset becomes focused on Christmas, but not in the way it should be. We should begin becoming hopeful of what this season brings, yet we become worried and stressed about getting everyone the perfect gifts and focused on if we are decorating our house with colored or white lights. Farmhouse or modern themed decorations? We start to worry about the weight we will gain because it is impossible to say no to all the cookies and treats that come with Thanksgiving and Christmas get-togethers. We become anxious because the number in our bank account doesn't seem to care about how many gifts we'll be purchasing in the coming months. 

Somehow, after all these years we've forgotten how to truly celebrate Christmas. We've made it about the material things, when those things were never meant to be the main focus of the holiday. These past couple years while I've been in college, it never really felt like Christmas. I blamed it on the fact that it hasn't snowed much these past couple years until January, and I don't see many Christmas decorations while I'm on campus. But then it hit me, it has nothing to do with those things, but it has everything to do with me...

It should feel like Christmas because of what's going on in my heart, not because of what's going on around me. 

I looked at Christmas break as just that: a break from the stress and nonstop busyness of the semester and forgot to really slow down and reflect on what the holiday brings. We shouldn't be stressed about getting people the greatest gifts year after year, because they've already received the greatest Christmas gift they could ever receive. A pure, helpless little baby boy, probably weighing no more than seven pounds, born in a filthy stable, who would eventually save us all from our own evil and sinful nature. No matter how hard we try, no gift we ever give anybody in our lifetime will compare to that One. 

I think the traditions of Christmas are fun. Watching Christmas movies by the fire as I drink coffee or hot chocolate is so nice. Believing in Santa when I was little was so magical. And picking out gifts I think my family and friends will love is so much fun. But I'm scared that we all, myself including, put too much focus on those things, and forget about Jesus. I know that sounds harsh, and I hate to admit it, but sadly it's true. We may not forget about Him completely, but we don't make Him the main focus, and that needs to change. There's nothing wrong with doing those things unless they're clouding our vision from the main reason we're doing them in the first place, and hardening our hearts towards Jesus. 

I know there are only a couple days left until Christmas, but I pray that we can slow down during them, and truly focus on that seven pound gift we received two-thousand nineteen years ago.