Where are Joy and Peace at Christmas

AND every other day?

Christmas can be a wonderful time of year or it can be a time of mixed emotions, broken relationships and hurtful events. Often there is a sense of sadness and grief. Joy and peace are nowhere to be found in our circumstances. This can cause a distorted view and change the focus of an event that changed history like no other and that is the true foundation of  joy and peace.

No one loves the decorations and festivities of Christmas more than I do. We have a tree in every room, with lots of villages and nativities. The normal accessories of our home are packed away and replaced with every kind of Christmas decoration. As festive as they are, that is not what Christmas is about. It isn't Santa, presents, music and pageants. It isn't about family and parties.

When my granddaughter, Emily, was three and saw the nativity on the coffee table she asked about the figures and why the animals were there.  I explained to her that when it was time for Jesus to be born there was no place for his family to go.  They were on a trip.  Someone let them stay in their stable; explaining it was similar to a barn.  When I told her that baby Jesus had no bed and that he slept on some clean hay, her eyes filled with tears and she said, "I don't like that story."  She was sad that there was no room or bed for Jesus. 

We can be like those who lived on that first Christmas night.  Even as Christians, we get busy with everything else and find no room for him in our lives.  That is when we miss the true joy and peace He gives to our daily lives, in spite of our circumstances.

Over two thousand years ago, God sent his Son, Jesus, to become the Savior of those who believe in Him. The event fulfilled Old Testament prophecy regarding the Messiah and is recorded in the Gospels of the New Testament. Luke 2 is the most commonly read when telling the Christmas story. It is a humble story but one that has impacted the world more than any other. There is no other event in history so widely known or that has impacted the world for this length of time.

Our circumstances change constantly, but the story of God's love and the birth of the Savior has remained the same since that night in that stable. If we look for joy and peace in our circumstances, they may not be there, or if they are, they could be gone in a moment. Joy that comes from a personal faith and relationship with the Savior is constant and keeps things in perspective. Peace is the result, knowing there is more to life than what a day may bring. Nothing in this life is permanent, but life in eternity is.

I wish you the real joy and peace of Christmas as you celebrate the birth of the Son of God. He was the first Christmas gift given.  God gave a gift that no one else can give, no money can buy, nothing can destroy and it is the only gift we can receive that won't be left behind when this life is over.  It is the gift of eternal life.

John 3:16 says it so clearly, "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him (Jesus) will not perish, but have everlasting life."

This year, may you make room for Jesus and know the wonder, joy and peace of God's eternal gift and the true meaning of Christmas.