Wednesday, December 21

 

Typically, my wife and I will spend Christmas Eve at home with our children. On Christmas day, we drive to my parent’s home where we meet up with the rest of the family. I consider myself blessed because for many, Christmas is a very complicated time of the year. Having to decide who is coming and not coming, or if they’re coming then I am not going. If people are divorced, that complicates matters; having to share the holiday, one year with mom the next with dad, scheduling visits so that they do not overlap; it’s complicated.

 

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. However, for many, it is the most complicated time of the year. Christmas sheds light on the good things in our lives, it is a reminder that God sent His son into the world to save us. Christmas also reminds us of the complications in our lives. It reminds us of the broken relationships, of the loved ones who are no longer present, and of the expectations that can no longer be met. If we took a moment to pause and look in the mirror, we would realize that many of these complications are our own doing. Christmas highlights the goodness of God, but it also reminds us that there exists darkness in the world.

 

John 1:4-5 NIV

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

 

When life gets complicated, the Christmas season is the reminder that God sent His son into the darkness of this world to become the center of our lives. Christmas reminds us that we shouldn’t fear even though there are reasons to fear. Christmas reminds us that no matter how dark the world may seem, we can center our lives in Jesus who is the light of the world. His light will always shine and the darkness of this world will never overcome it. This is why we pray, because we know that God hears us. This is why we never lose hope, because He is the light to all mankind. Therefore, when confronted with the fact that there are problems in the world, in our families, and our lives, we can take comfort in the knowledge that Jesus is the light of the world.

 

Merry Christmas!