Christmas is over. It’s been a busy time – decorating, buying just the right gifts, watching children sing and dance the message of Christmas, baking cookies, and preparing to receive those precious loved ones – family and friends – into our home. But in the midst of all the “busy” it can be easy to miss the One who is the very center of it all. If I just take a moment to quiet my heart and look with His eyes, I find He’s been there all the time.
Last weekend we attended our church’s Christmas Program, and surely I saw Jesus there. I saw Him in the faces of those who sang, played instruments and shared the message of the Savior’s birth – His Spirit filling hearts and space with His glorious presence.
However, the place I saw Jesus most vividly this Christmas Season was in the lives He has touched with the gift of His own life. I saw Him in my husband, delivered from alcoholism and drugs many years ago, face radiating the joy and peace of His presence.
He was there in the lives of those whose testimonies caused the tears to course down our cheeks – lives changed in dramatic ways. The chains that once bound them had been broken, and now they walk in the freedom of forgiven sin.
I saw him in the face of a friend who suffered abuse at the hands of a broken father – a face filled with the love that comes from knowing the love of a Father who will never hurt him in any way. His life changed dramatically from one of bitterness and isolation to one of gentle compassion and giving heart.
I saw him in the life of a young man saved while serving time in prison – now serving as the Pastor of a little church. His passion for the Savior pouring out in grateful service.
The One whose birth we celebrate knew before the beginning of time itself that He would one day leave heaven to come and rescue us. He saw each life, each desperate heart, and deemed them worthy of the sacrifice He was willing to make on their behalf. I see Him, the glorious Lord of lords, in the face of that tiny baby cradled in the arms of a young girl. I see Him as a young man, as He stepped into earthly time and announced His ministry:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”
Luke 4:18
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He came so that we might live – and live an abundant life in Him. Thank You Lord Jesus.
Blessings,
Linda
