“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 NIV
Christmas has just passed, and I couldn’t help but reflect on how fast everything flew by. I would like to believe that I spend the Christmas season in complete awe of Jesus. I hope that I live out this amazement in ways that display pure joy and gratitude because of my genuine acknowledgement of Christ’s birth. Instead, I have found myself consumed by worldly gimmicks, people or family pleasing, and the attempt to be in multiple places at once. So, how do we get back to the simplicity of Jesus, the Christmas story, and break free from the illusions that distract us all from the true meaning of the message of Jesus?
One event that took place a few weeks prior to Christmas opened my heart to the awareness of what my life could be and what I believe God calls for all of us to have. In an attempt to make things easier on myself and save time, I decided to do all of my Christmas shopping online. While sitting down with my daughter one evening, she confessed that she and her brother had found their Christmas presents, in several previous years, before they were wrapped. She laughingly told me that they were always able to find where the presents were hidden. This revelation was quite shocking to me, because I had always put a lot of thought into surprising my children with what I saw as the “perfect” presents. It turns out I was placing unnecessary thought into these gifts. Reflecting on what she said, I thought I would change my strategy this year. As multiple packages arrived on a nearly daily basis, I opened each package to confirm that the appropriate item had arrived. Then, I literally left each box in plain sight. On a near daily basis, I watched my children stroll by their Christmas gifts with little to no clue. After Christmas morning, when all of the presents were unwrapped, I told them what I had done. They laughed and admitted that they thought these boxes could be presents. However, they never thought that my husband and I would leave their gifts in plain sight. That was just way too simple. And that, my friends, is when it hit me. Yes! Acknowledging Jesus is just that simple. The message of Jesus, God’s gift of grace, is in plain sight, within reach, and not unnecessarily complicated. Do we look for and receive His simple message? John 3:16 states:
“For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” NIV
Arguably one of the most profound and quoted verses in the Bible, yet we often try to make something so simple hidden or hard instead. We think, I know God loves me, but…
It. is. simple.
What would our lives look like if we took the message of Christ right there in front of us? What if we stopped creating complications and simply lived in the belief of God’s love and promises for us? What if this gift of God, relationship with Jesus, right in front of us every day, we chose to notice instead of just walk past? God is waiting for us to take notice. Jesus Christ is the Christmas gift that is literally right in front of each and every one of us. Moving into this new year, let’s consider how we can acknowledge embracing this; a gift to be cherished, not only on Christmas, but throughout the course of our lives. It really is that simple.
Your fellow Able Mom,
Donna Shaw
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us to acknowledge Him in all that we do. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.