Guys, this is real talk. I.Love.Christmas. I love everything about it. The lights, the music, the food, the warmth, the decorations, the caroling, the holiday candy (except for candy canes...curse them), the gifts, the endless hours pondering what special things you're going to give to those you love dearly, red, green, anything sparkly, fireplaces waking up from long seasons of sleep, santa hats, flannel pj's,....
I could go on and on. But, this is what I just don't get. All of those things? They're awesome, right? I mean, I would be a fake and a freak if I were to tell you that those things are worthless, don't matter, and shouldn't be enjoyed during Christmas. They should be.
But they are only a shadow, not the substance.
What's blowing my mind today, dear reader, is that I have Jesus. HE is the substance. I'm not clinging to or hoping in a shadow of goodness, but to the source of all abundant hope, warmth, and joy. HE is the fire in my soul that enables me to truly enjoy those moments by a fire, the Christmas hymns sung with friends, a weirdly-delicious cup of egg-nog, or a warmly-lit Christmas tree.
And that's just...crazy. The people in the Old Testament waited hundreds of years for this Hope to come. They suffered, prayed, cried, rebelled, returned, and LONGED for the promised and foretold coming of the Messiah. And He came. Finally, He came. BOOM.
King didn't front.
He came. He lived. He healed. He loved. He tasted.
He tasted a fierce wrath that you, I, and every breathing body on this earth fully deserved.
Don't forget that.
So thankful that I have a precious Savior who conquered death, so that we could have intimacy with Him and enjoy every good and perfect gift from above; namely, Himself. Let us not forget the truth of the Gospel as we partake in the shadows, all the while clinging to and nestling up to the Substance.
I.Love.Christmas.
