"The Reason For The Season"

The Christmas season is quickly dwindling down.  Soon the twinkling lights will be unplugged, the ornaments will be wrapped & stored away, the tree will come down & be smashed back into its box, Santa & his reindeer will fly back to the North Pole, each decoration will be tucked away in storage bins, & we will say good-bye to the most wonderful time of year.

Around our house, we crank Christmas out to the fullest!  If you've read my blog or know me personally, you know that I don't skimp on the details when it coms to Christmas {or anything for that matter}!  We do the Santa thing, we blare the Christmas carols, we watch the all time classic Christmas movies, we bake the cookies, we drink the cocoa, we go completely overboard, & it is great--really great.  But don't think for one second that in the midst of all the Christmas celebrating in our home, that we forget what the real reason for this beautiful season is.  His name is Jesus.

And while I am thankful for that sweet baby laying in his manger & all that he represents at Christmas time, that's not who Jesus Christ is to me.  He is much, much more.  He is my Savior.  He is not just the reason for this season, he is the reason for my being.   After all, he did so much more than just come, be born, & lay in a manger--he came to die for my sin.  And I owe him my entire life, not just a season of it.  I liken my life to the season of Christmas--that without Jesus Christ, it would be pretty pointless.

So this week, I'll pack away all of the decorations that go along with the Christmas season-each twinkly light & every pretty Christmas card, but as for the reason for the season?  He stays.  He doesn't get tucked away with the Christmas tree or the lights, to simply be forgotten until next year rolls around.  No, our Jesus, our Lord & Savior, he stays.  He stays to be a part of our every day lives, through the good, bad & ugly, the whole year through.  He's the one who will get us through our rough patches, & be there to celebrate with us our victories & blessings!  He's the one who will stretch us, & grow us into individuals that look more like him!  I am excited to one day teach my son that Jesus Christ is the reason for this beautiful season, & the one who makes Christmas what it is.  But more importantly I want to SHOW him who Jesus is by the way we live our lives & the personal relationship we have with our Lord & Savior.  Not just at Christmas time, not just during this particular season, but all the time, through every season.