It’s Christmas Eve! One day to go! The excitement in the air is almost palpable. The stores are packed with last minute shoppers. Presents are starting to pile up under the trees. Stockings “are hung by the chimney with care”, and the sounds of carols mixes with the scent of cinnamon and sugar from the batch of cookies just pulled from the oven.
As the song says, this truly is “the most wonderful time of the year.” I think it’s one of God’s favorite times also, because for a few fleeting hours a large portion of the world’s inhabitants are focused on Him and the wonderful gift He gave us in His Son. The sound of people singing “Away in a Manger” and the “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” must bring joy to His heart, especially when sung by little children who are just beginning to learn of His wondrous love.
However, after tomorrow it will all be over. The presents will have all been unwrapped, the “roast beast” will have been eaten, the carols will all have been sung. We’ll all return to our routines, to the daily grind and, for many, thoughts of the Christ Child will be shelved for another year, right next to the ribbons and bows, strings of lights, and the artificial tree.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Every day of the coming year can be “the most wonderful time of the year” if you will keep your focus on Jesus, if you spend everyday walking with Him. God’s love for us is not limited to one day a year. No, “his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is [His] faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:23 NIV).
This Christmas don’t let the joy end at the end of the day. Decide right now to carry it with you throughout the coming year. Remember, every day can be Christmas, if we spend it with the Child!
