The reason for living

{Isabel, 9 days old}

   This Christmas has been different for me.  Is it any wonder?

   During this season, I have had to lean hard on what truly matters most, because many of the typical distractions are gone.  

   Recovering from surgery and with family members being ill, have meant cereal for breakfast instead of some wonderful, memorable baking I'd love to be doing.  I have had to be content with the ordinary.  Although, I have to say Christmas dinner was deliciously out of the ordinary.  My husband gave it all he had in the kitchen and baked a turkey and some candied yams to go with it (and a few other things too).  We enjoyed God's blessing through these "gifts" from our church family.

   I admit my expectations were a little dashed this Christmas season.  I didn't expect to come home from the hospital to family illness, where my "main helpers" needed as much rest as I did.  This was not the plan I had envisioned.  But we have pulled together and thankfully my recovery has been fairly swift.  I decided yesterday that I didn't even need Motrin any more.  And of all things, I was very happy (not to mention ABLE!) to sit, rather comfortably I might add, on the floor with my kiddos.  We played an "I SPY" memory game and had a blast!

   So there weren't many gifts under the tree, but we were thankful for what we had and we held the precious gift of baby Isabel in our arms.  Her tiny miraculous frame has held us in awe.  Her movements, so slow and gentle.  Her eyes gazing back into ours for so much longer now on Christmas day, have held us completely captivated.  And of course we cannot help but to think of God's amazing promise of the ages fulfilled in the baby Jesus Christ.  

{from the Seek and Find Bible}

   With our family seated around our dining room table, my husband reads the account of in Luke chapter 2.  How Simeon took up the baby Jesus in his arms and blessed God.  My husband began to weep as he read Simeon's words...

"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,

according to your word;

for my eyes have seen your salvation 

that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory to your people Israel."

   Simeon had waited all his life to see God's promise of a Savior fulfilled.  The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.  Now he had seen him, the promise of God in the form of a tiny helpless baby.  Only God could have done it.  Such a perfect plan for our redemption.  Carried out by our sovereign God.  No one could stop it, hard as they try.  

   And this is what we celebrate at Christmas.  God born in human flesh to save those who would receive this gift of gifts.  For if you do not receive a gift you are given, it is not really yours.  It is possible to reject a gift.  We all know what it's like to get a gift for Christmas that we really didn't want.  It's meaningless to us and we reject it.  Sure, we act like we are receiving it or like we want it in front of other people, but deep in our hearts we hate it. We either donate it to Goodwill or stick it in the back of the closet for a time.  We prefer to just forget about the thing.  

What are you doing with the gift of Jesus Christ?

   Jesus is not just the "reason for the season".  He is the reason for living.

 He is the reason we have life at all.  Eternal life with God and a close, vibrant relationship with him as you live on this earth is a free gift that is offered to you.  

  Jesus lived every day of his life on this earth in perfect obedience and submission to God, because we could not.  

  He suffered the consequences of our sin so that we wouldn't have to.

Do you believe?  Will you receive the gift that God is offering to you?

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   He truly is the gift that keeps on giving.  When all else fails me, he never will.  His love never fades and I can always find absolute and perfect joy in him.  No matter what things I have or don't have.  And really, this is question we should ask ourselves every day, not just at Christmas, but throughout the year.  

Is my joy ultimately found in Jesus Christ?  Or the things of this world?