Winter break is finally here. There is no greater feeling than waking up the day after finals, and realizing that there is no discussion question or assignment for you to do that day. It is the time of year where we get to go home and be with our families to celebrate the holidays.

One of my favorite holiday traditions is reading from the advent book with my mom. I love opening the doors, and re-learning the story of how the ever-faithful Mary trusted God and brought Jesus into the world.

This got me thinking about how great stories are. We use stories as a way to form connections. Families pass stories down from generation to generation in order to establish a family bond. We also read books in order to connect with worlds and fictional characters that help change the way we view love, life, the world around us, and situations that we have never even been placed in.

With all of these stories in the world, it is hard to believe that there is still a story going on that started thousands of years ago. This quickly became the greatest story ever told, and the best part is that each and every one of us gets to play a part in this continuing saga.

If we were to start from the beginning, this story starts with God creating the world. He continues this narrative by bringing in characters that we can look up to. He gave us Job, who showed us that when everything else in your life is destroyed or taken from you, your faith in God should not waver. We also read about John the Baptist, who continued to do God's work despite the danger he faced.

Every interesting story needs a villain, right? Towards the beginning of the story, we are introduced to Satan. He serves as an example of how even people who start out as good can fall. His presence becomes a problem in the world that needs to be addressed. Because of him, we became separated from God.

God, doing what He is best at, had a plot twist that no one could possibly expect. He sent His son to the world to save us all. You think that would be the end of the story, right? Absolutely not. This is where we come in. We get to continue this story by passing it on to everyone we know. It is our duty to tell as many people as possible that there is an ongoing battle between good and evil, and that God's love for us is so immense that He knows we are going to win.

If this story could be summed up in one sentence, it would be the verse John 3:16 that says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

He truly does love the world, and He is so good. Happy Monday everyone, let's continue this story.