In a year full of unexpected events, what if every day could feel like Christmas instead of crisis?
“She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). ─Matthew 1:21-23 NIV
I have needed to learn this lesson. I AM learning this lesson. Again. There is opportunity for every day to feel like Christmas instead of crisis. We choose.
I have been gripped by circumstances rather than the goodness of God. This year I have had to fight for my joy. And fight some more. I’d get to a place that felt safe, then slip and stumble, and struggle to climb back to the place of peace where the Prince of Peace calls me to abide. Interesting that the LORD knew this year would be as it has been. Perhaps that is why He gave me the word “joy” at the beginning of 2020.
This is the day the LORD has made,
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
─Psalm 118:24 NKJV
On the days that go well, God wants us to rejoice and be glad in it. On the days where we just don’t understand what is going on in the world, we can choose to rejoice and be glad. That choice is a form of our worship. When the weary world rejoices, we reveal who holds our heart. If we know the Lord, we give him this day our daily bread. We give Him all of us with all our heart, mind, and soul.
Maybe you are in the midst of a home-schooling crisis and you’re at your whit’s end. I’ve heard some mamas say they need to pick their battles. (That phraseology should speak volumes to us.) How does a mama, now teacher, help her kids without losing her ever-loving mind in the process?
Maybe you find yourself working more than you would have chosen, because there’s not a lot of other opportunities to choose to engage in right now. You wouldn’t be alone. I read an article yesterday that said since the pandemic, the average American is working 40% more than before. How does a person make healthy choices that don’t put us out of alignment?
Speaking of healthy choices, maybe you are one of the ones (like me) who has chosen food as a substitute. Searching for joy in the bottom of a bowl of macaroni and cheese, or whatever your favorite comfort food is may have been your go to source of satisfaction. I’ve seen people upping their game & increasing time spent working out. I’m not one of them. How does one not lose sight of their health or pant size when pajamas will do just fine many days?
Maybe you have a spirit of adventure that has been hindered as we’ve been held captive in our homes or hidden behind a mask when out in public. You try to smile, hoping others will see it, but not sure if it has reached all the ways to your eyes. You attempt to make them sparkle, because you know one smile can trigger another and you are ready for a positive chain reaction in 2020.
We’ve seen some of those, and I am personally grateful for people’s goodness shining through in the midst of a year that had more than its fair share of hurdles and challenges. How does one find adventure and see the good in this world?
What I think God is teaching me (or wants to if I’m willing) is how will I worship even when I can feel weary, like every day is ground hog day. Same, same, same. I realize I am like the Israelites who grumbled about having manna fresh every day. God provided for them, they just wanted something more tasty after awhile. When Monday looks like Friday and I forget what day it is until I look at the calendar, I need to remind myself to taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, I know this in my head. But when things get hard or when I’ve grown bored in what feels mundane, it doesn’t always reach down to my heart.
But I have a choice. And so do you.
How does every day feel like Christmas instead of crisis? Let’s look at the beautiful scripture that points us to Christmas, our beautiful Savior’s birth.
“She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). ─Matthew 1:21-23 NIV
Christ died to save us from our sin. He died to save me from my sin. A sulking spirit slathered with an external smile is not obeying what His Word says. When He says each day is His and we should rejoice and then we don’t, we’re choosing to sin. We’re saying this day isn’t good enough for me as You have made it, Lord. Like the Israelites who rejected the Lord’s manna, we sin when we don’t see the goodness in each day.
We may not see it as sin relative to what we see out “in the world”, but it is sin against the very Spirit placed within us. The Holy Spirit, our Helper, can help us worship Him. It’s a beautiful picture of God’s mercy to you and to me that He left the Holy Spirit to guide us to the right places and mindsets, the right behaviors and attitudes. Literally, when we don’t even know what to pray, God’s Word says He will help us to know what to pray.
I don’t know about you, but there have been times this year when I didn’t know what to pray. But the Lord is faithful to guide us in that, to help us feel like we have some control over a world that’s been flipped upside down and turned inside out. God was not caught off guard by any of it.
Not only was He not surprised, He can help us shoulder the burden. He will do the heavy lifting, so we aren’t weighed down by the burdens of this world.
And that, my friends, is how we get to a place of wonder and worship.
We lay things at His feet. We run to Him with every lament. We celebrate victories, large and small with Him. The kids finished all their homework without squabbling? Celebrate it with the Lord! You decided to take a day off versus working straight through another week? Celebrate it with the Lord! You ate a piece of broccoli instead of chocolate cake? Celebrate it with the Lord! You let your spirit of adventure be that of loving folks just a little bit extra and following God into His adventures to bring others joy. That, my friends, is one of the truest reasons to celebrate with the Lord! We turn from our grumbling and complaining sin to worshipping our Savior. Immanuel sees and celebrates with us.
How does every day feel like Christmas instead of crisis? Let’s look at the beautiful scripture that points us to Christmas again.
“She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). ─Matthew 1:21-23 NIV
How does every day feel like Christmas instead of crisis?
Every day we need to remember, I need to remember, Immanuel. Truly, is there any better gift? God with us. Immanuel, God with us.
I need to KNOW this truth in my depths. That knowledge is the difference between life and death, spiritually speaking for sure. If God is with me (and He is) I can do all things. I can do all things because with God, they are possible.
The significance of Immanuel feels greater to me this year than perhaps I’ve felt in a long time, maybe ever.
I know the beauty and power of Immanuel at least to some degree this far into my faith journey with the Lord. This year, though, I’ve needed to FEEL His presence and to feel it for me more than normal. When I have felt isolated from friends, I am reminded HE is my Friend.
If there’s one thing I really want to take away from this year, this Christmas in particular, it’s the deep, deep knowledge driven far below surface knowledge that God is with me. Immanuel.
If God is with me, everything else will be ok. I can laugh with Him. I can cry with Him. I can come to Him with every truth in my heart, because He already knows every piece of it. I can come to Him in search of hope and in His faithfulness He reminds me that is the point of Christmas. Hope in Christ.
So, my friend, this Christmas season, I pray you know Immanuel, that you experience the hope in Christ, and that your heart is full of joy as you worship the Lord. Let Him minister to you. Remember, He is Immanuel and He is closer to you than a breath. When you need a moment to catch yours, let the Spirit breathe new life into each day. May you experience fresh possibilities as you walk with Immanuel.
Unwrap the gift of God’s presence as you bask in the fullness of knowledge of who Immanuel is to you, personally, specifically, intimately.
Merry Christmas. Peace on earth. Good will to men. Worship the Lord. And remember Immanuel.
QUESTIONS & ACTIONS
- How does the knowledge (or reminder) that God is with you shape your perspective?
- What do you need most from Immanuel?
- Pray with Him and ask Him to meet your need.
- How can you shift from a heart of worry and weariness to one of worship?
- How is God calling you to experience Him this Christmas?
- How can you experience the wonder of Christmas each day? Pray and ask God how He is calling you into a spirit of worship and wonder with Him. What does that specifically look like for you?
About the author: Tracy Stella is a Christ-follower on the journey of life, seeking to see God and His will for her fulfilled on this great adventure. She feels compelled to share the story of God’s hand in her life with the hope that readers will search for and see God at work in their own lives. Jesus writes the greatest story of all. It’s called Redemption for those who are willing to surrender to His love and leading. I pray God continues to write a glorious story in each of your lives. Amen. If you found this helpful or inspiring, consider sharing it with others. Thank you for reading and God bless!