When I think back to my childhood, I remember Christmas as a magical time. There was just a feeling in the air – a wonder of the season.ย An awe.
As I got older I would try to do everything I could to “get in the Christmas mood.” Baking cookies, decorating the tree, wrapping gifts, listening to Christmas music. And I loved it.
But something was missing. I just couldn’t recapture that wonder I experienced as a child.
For years I tried to bring that magical feeling back until I eventually gave up – figuring that only children can feel the purest awe.
But I was wrong.
Recapturing the Wonder
We can experience the wonder of Christmas even more fully than we did as a child. How? By contemplating the true miracles of Christmas, the incredible wonder of what God did for us.
These are truths that are so familiar we sometimes gloss over them. But when we stop and really consider them, they fill us with awe.
Consider with me…..
- God loves us. More than anything, Christ’s coming is evidence of God’s love for us. Just stop a minute and let that sink it. God loves us. Why on earth does He? He shouldn’t. We are not the least bit worthy. But He does, and it is incredible!
- God became man. God – the Creator, Sustainer, All-mighty, All-powerful, All-knowing, I AM. He became man. And more than that, he became a helpless baby. Why? Because He loves us. Because He chose to redeem us. Because He is the most amazing God.
- Christ came to die. Yes, thinking of Jesus in the manger is heart-warming and sweet, but realizing that He came to die is even more amazing. He came willingly. To die. For us.
- God wants to have a relationship with us. Christ came to redeem us so that He could have a relationship with us. With each individual. With billions of people on the earth, He cares about you. He cares about me. Talk about wonder!
- God works in mysterious ways. He was born of a virgin. He came humbly in a stable. He chose ordinary people to raise His son and ordinary shepherds to tell His good news to. His plan doesn’t make sense to a human mind, but that’s what’s so amazing. God’s ways are always better than ours.
We’ve hardly even scratched the surface of the true wonder of Christmas. Each aspect is incredible, amazing, mind-boggling.
This year, let’s allow the truths of Christmas to penetrate not only our minds but also our hearts. Let us be filled with childlike wonder at the story, at what God has done, at God Himself.
What Christmas truth most amazes you? Share your wonder with a comment below.
Photo by Shawn M. Kent
Such a beautiful reminder in this harried season. Thank you for sharing! Have a blessed Christmas!
Wonderful comments!!!! this is what I taught my class. The wonder that God the Son, the Creator of the universe, would come as a baby, grow up, and die for our sins. This is truly awesome!