“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19
Today is Christmas. It is a day filled with great expectations. Many of those expectations will be fulfilled. Many will not. Many of you may be disappointed. Many will be joyous. Many will be sad. There will in fact be many emotions associated with this day. And all of them attached to the expectations we have placed on the day and the events and responses we expect to happen throughout the day. I have said many times we want Norman Rockwell or Pinterest perfection and what we typically get is less than. Our disappointment lies mainly in where we place our expectations. We will not find contentment and happiness wrapped up in a box or tied up in a bow. Our expectations can be met however, when we come to the same realization the Grinch did after he thought he stole Christmas:
“It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store?”
And of course Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Christmas came in the form of a newborn baby. A baby born to a young girl named Mary who must have wondered at all the events of her life over the past nine months as she held her precious newborn baby boy that very first Christmas. A baby who would grow up to become the Savior who would bring light into a world filled with darkness. A baby who would change the world.
And here’s the thing: Christmas can live in our hearts year round when we embody the ideals taught by Christ. And so today, I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! May your Christmas be filled with joy and laughter. And may Christ live in your hearts every day.
Peace,
Beth
Beth's Blog 