Christmas.
Of course in our world today we get a lot of things wrong about Christmas, making it about commercialism, etc. But today, I’m here to tell you what Christmas means to me, and that can be summed up in one word: Hope.
Now, in our world, hope can seem like it to is a dying breed. We are met each and every day with dire stories about the economy, the country, and the world. We hear about people losing their houses, their jobs, their marriages, their lives. And it’s easy to begin to sink into hopelessness.
However, look closely at the Babe lying in the manger that Blessed Christmas. Jesus.
So seemingly insignificant. A baby with nothing more than a trough for cattle to eat in to lay His head.
So seemingly fragile. A young mother, weary from the journey.
But look closely at the time God sent His Son into this world, and you will see why Jesus is neither insignificant nor fragile.
You see, there is a reason we celebrate Christmas on the day we do, at the time that we do. That wasn’t a random choice someone threw a dart at and hit on a calendar.
Nobody looked at the calendar and said, “You know, I think we need one more holiday right here at the end of December just to round things out.”
No. The symbolism of the day holds within it the symbolism of the coming of Christ!
The truth is, Jesus Christ made His debut in this world on the longest night of the year!
The night hopelessness and darkness had their greatest hold on the earth. And the day of His birth became the turning point to longer days, more light, and more hope!
In that one blessed moment, Jesus showed us that even in the darkest night, even in our longest night, He is right there in the middle of it ready by His sheer presence to give us hope!
So as we celebrate this blessed holiday, let us remember and cling to what Jesus ultimately gave us: a Spirit of Hope!
When we get that, all the other “Christmasy” things like joy and peace and faith and love will be following closely behind. But don’t just hold all these in your heart, learn to be like Jesus and extend them to the world… a world that really needs the Light of Hope that Christmas itself is all about!
Want to be inspired? #1 Best Selling Christian Author, Staci Stallings, the author of this article, writes Contemporary Christian fiction and nonfiction. Staci, the founder of Grace & Faith Author Connection and co-founder of CrossReads, has numerous titles to choose from at her website http://www.stacistallings.net.
You can check out this Best-Selling Christian Romance by Staci and be enjoying it on your ereader in minutes…