I don’t need anything for Christmas. I am a man in my fifties with a wife, children, two cars and a nice house. Whatever I really need I usually go out and buy over the course of the year. Yet, on Christmas morning it is always fun to be able to open a gift. There is something exciting and joyful about receiving some object, some present that was meant just for you.
Some people might claim that it is immature of a person to get excited about getting gifts, but I believe God wants us to have child-like joy in the celebration of our holidays. What lesson does Jesus teach in today’s reading?
What exactly does Jesus mean by becoming like little children? Most interpretations are that he meant we need to regain that childhood innocence we once had. We need to look at life with a trusting heart, open and honest and uncontaminated by the evils of the world.
But I think he also means we need to celebrate life the way children celebrate. Is there anyone more joyous on Christmas morning than a child, jumping and screaming with excitement?
Do we celebrate Christmas with that much enthusiasm? Probably not. We might sit in a comfortable chair with a hot chocolate or coffee and watch the festivities of the day unfold while we look on, a slight smile on our face. We seldom hop up and down with sheer joy.
But perhaps we should. Perhaps we need to truly comprehend what Christmas is all about. We must realize what an amazing gift has been given to each of us, and perhaps that truth should make us dance with child-like glee, even if we are in our fifties or sixties or seventies.
DAILY CHALLENGE: How will you celebrate God’s gift of Christmas?
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