This I Know to Be True

Gifts and shopping, parties and celebrations, wonderful food and sugary goodness, glitz and glitter, stress and pressure, Ho! Ho! Ho! and Old Saint Nick, sleigh bells and church bells, snow men and reindeer...

And the REAL reason for the season...Our Savior Jesus Christ. A tiny babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, because there was no room for Him at the Inn.

Oh how I adore Him! How sweet and humble, and incredibly wondrous...the most important event in the history of the world. A beautiful, perfect baby boy who would grow up to be my only hope for eternal salvation.

How grateful I am that He lives! I have felt His love and experienced His grace. In two thousand plus years, no one has had a greater impact on my life. Because of Him, I have hope for eternal happiness and peace. Because of Him, my heart is full of hope and faith and trust. He is my light, my hero, my greatest ally, my friend. How grateful I am to know Him and to love Him. He is the reason I rejoice during this wonderful Christmas season. May His love and grace, His friendship and example, be recognized in each of your lives today, tomorrow and every day the whole year through. For without Him...we are nothing.

Gifts

"Remember" was all the note said. But God didn't have to say any more than that. I knew what He was talking about...the greatest gift I have ever received. And sometimes in the "busyness" of life it's easy to forget the overwhelming deep feeling of gratitude I felt when I first "got it". It used to be so easy to lose my perspective, to remember the gift was personal...mine for the taking; to be cherished and protected, and held sacred in the deepest most private and vulnerable place in my heart. But the demolition changed all of that. I will never ever forget again.

Focus

Joseph, do you see them,

Those people standing near?

They have come to celebrate

Our son’s special day this year. 

They’re gathering together

So they can honor Him

To celebrate His birthday

Complete with all the trim. 

The mood here is so cheery;

The people are so kind.

They are the happiest people

You or I will ever find. 

Just look at all the gifts

They’ve brought here for our son.

It seems as if they love Him;

They know what He has done. 

He served them all so selflessly

Each day throughout the years;

He has loved and healed them

And wiped away their tears. 

He will be so honored;

This wasn’t just a whim.

Oh wait–what are they doing?

I guess they weren’t for Him. 

-Karla Claybrook