December is a tough month for most of us. Between Christmas, the start of a new year, final exams for students, and final deadlines for many employees, December is easily one of the most stress filled, aggravating times of the year. Sure, seeing your family is great (most of the time) and getting and giving gifts is fun, but we often lose sight of the reason for all this commotion- the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We're often reminded throughout Christmastime to "remember the real reason for the season," but that becomes something we push to the back of our minds when running around for last minute presents or dealing with that family member who doesn't know when to stop talking. We become impatient and ready for it all to be over and back to normal. As Christians, this is the opposite of how we should be during the celebration of when the Prince of Peace entered the world as a man to give us the hope we so desperately needed.

This is the time of the year our entire country stops in recognition of the birth of God coming down to Earth in the form of a man to offer what we could never do for ourselves. Regardless of what nonbelievers claim they are celebrating at Christmas, the simple fact remains that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ, and that is something only God himself could inspire. What other person in history has been able to interrupt the lives of people who deny His very existence for a celebration of His birth over two thousand years after the actual event? That is the kind of God we serve; He is the all-powerful, awe-inspiring Creator of our souls, the One who knows our inmost thoughts and desires but still chooses to love us beyond measure and send His perfect Son to a wayward, sinful, wicked world for us. These are things we hear often at Christmas services, or even just regular church events, but take a moment to let what Christ did for us sink in. He left His all-powerful, completely perfect place in heaven to come to earth as a baby. He could have chosen to come as a fully grown, mighty king, but yet He chose to come to this world as a newborn. Think about that- the most powerful person ever to step foot on this planet willingly came as a defenseless infant because He knew that's what we needed. It's a beautiful act of love that we often overlook, but I believe that if we truly embraced this notion, we would see a spark of joy in our lives that could fuel into a strong burning flame, especially at Christmas. As a believer, it's hard to reflect on these thoughts and not feel a surge of joy within you. It just often gets drowned out by all the background noise and distractions we face this time of year.

This Christmas, I'm challenging you to choose joy. This is not something I say lightly because I am also challenging myself. I want my joy to be something that comes from within myself, not based upon my present circumstances, because true joy in the Lord is found in all situations. I want to be especially joyful during this Christmas season, though, because I am celebrating the birth of the One who came to save my soul, the One who knew my name over two thousand years before anyone else did, the One who thought my eternity was so important He was willing to die for me. These thoughts astonish me, that the Maker of the universe- the One who formed the planets and the stars and the moons- would notice me, would care about me enough to take my place for all the wrong things I've done. When we as believers truly reflect and meditate on this, we will begin to feel that joyfulness rising up in us.

This joy is something that we have to nourish, or it will die out quickly. We have to choose to be joyful in the tough circumstances for it to become real. Paul writes in the book of Romans, chapter 12, verse 12, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." You cannot have joy without both patience and prayer, and once we realize this, becoming joyful in all circumstances turns into an attainable goal. It takes patience to have joy when the busyness of December gets to be too much, but remembering the root of all of these festivities is the birth of our Savior can drastically change your attitude, even in the simple things like waiting forever in a checkout line to buy last minute gifts or dealing with holiday traffic as you return home. Prayer is also essential to joy. Prayer is where you can turn when you're feeling not so joyful for whatever reason. Say a quick prayer of praise and thanksgiving when you feel your joy is fading, and I promise, you will find it again.