You've probably heard the Pentatonix version of this popular Christmas song. The first time I heard it, I was speechless. The second time, I cried. Every time I hear this song, it brings me back to the place I believe we should all be in this Christmas season.
I think that we have heard the Christmas story so many times that we have forgotten the full weight of its importance. The story is overlooked by Santa Clause and mistletoe and jingle bells. None this is bad- Christmas is my most wonderful time of the year, but sometimes it is for the wrong reasons.
Christmas started with a child. (Reference to the song It Started With A Child, let's just pause here for a sec to appreciate the power of music as shown by my three references to songs in the first three paragraphs of this article..) But seriously. Think about it. This is the Christmas story. And it doesn't include gingerbread men, eight magic reindeer, or a performance of the Nutcracker. This is about a child, a baby, and a star in the sky. This is about the Savior of the world, now a baby boy who walked with angels..
After awhile, after hearing the same story over and over again, the Christmas story starts to feel just a little less magical. Our reactions, over time, go from miraculous wonder to the methodical response we often give when one of our most precious loved ones tell us that they love us. It's nice, we appreciate it, and sometimes it can give us good, happy feelings, but rarely does it ignite that spark, that wondrous feeling of butterflies and unconditional love that it once did. It's almost as if we have become desensitized, we have the story memorized so there's really no need to dig any deeper.
This Christmas season, I am challenging myself, and I challenge you, to remember the real Christmas story. Not the one with pretty bows and red noses. Remember the story of a teenage girl delivering a baby who would one day deliver her. The story of a Savior who chose the humblest of places to be brought into the world- a dirty, cold, animal filled stable. The Christmas story holds so much power, so much magic and wonderment...remember the feeling of Christmas you felt as a child. Remember it and grasp it-be amazed and overwhelmed with the unconditional love and prodigious miracle of it all.
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
