’Tis the Season of Joy

Christmas! One of my favorite times of the year. There is just something about this season that makes me smile. I’m not sure if it’s the weather, the colorful decorations all around, or the great lengths to which people go to express love through giving. Whatever the case may be, I love Christmas, and I always will.

This season, among others, reminds me of God’s love for me. I have read the nativity story since I was a little girl and have heard the story about the birth of Jesus so many times. But it wasn’t until I had a child that the truth about the depth of God’s love for humanity became clear to me.

Almost every mother and father will tell you just how much they love their child and how they would do anything to make that child happy. Just look around schools, playgrounds, and malls, and you will find parents doing all they can to keep their kids smiling — it’s one of the great joys of being a parent.

If you took a survey and asked parents, “What would you do to save your child?” I am guessing almost all, if not all, parents would say, “I will do anything to save my child.” That’s the common reaction we get from loving parents, which is why after I had a child and I read the nativity story again I couldn’t comprehend it like I used to as a little girl.

What kind of love could someone have for me that would make them give up their only child just to save me? As I look in the faces of my kids every day, I know I could never give them up to save another person. I seriously doubt I could make that kind of sacrifice. But God did. He looked at the pain and suffering that sin had brought to humanity, and he realized there was only one way to bring back real joy — and that was to send his only son to the cross to die so that we may experience a joyful life.

That’s what I really love about Christmas. It helps me remember and celebrate the moment eternal joy re-entered the world with the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ.

So this Christmas, as you spend time with your family, enjoy every moment of festivity and think about the season and the one who made this joyful moment possible. Think about the God who loved you so much that he gave his only son to die for you so that you may have a joyful life in him. And then ask yourself, if he gave so much for me, what have I given to him? Silver and gold doesn’t cut it; he only wants your heart.

P.S. John 3:16 is a great read this Christmas.
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