Wonder

Wonder-

a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.

Christmas is only 8 sleeps away people. ONLY 8. It is my absolute favorite time of the year, as it is for many other people. It's been my favorite holiday since I was a little girl. I love the movies, the lights, the traditions, the FOOD, and the music. Everything about the season

excites me and fills me with happiness.

This year has been different though. And yesterday I had one of my ah-hah moments where God showed me the difference. I've always known that HE is the reason for the season, but I've never meditated on it. PAUSE. Let's just take a moment to recognize how cool He is. *God has been working in me in 2019 and I didn't even realize it. How awesome is it that our God can orchestrate a string of events or thoughts that seem totally unremarkable to us, and at the perfect moment, He reveals the WONDER of it all.* OK, back to my train of thought.

Like I said, I've always LOVED Christmas, and it has always brought so much happiness. But what brings something bigger and deeper than happiness, is remembering and truly abiding in the REAL gift of Christmas. The best and most WONDERful gift the world has ever been given, Jesus. A sweet baby born of a virgin that came to save us all. And when we remember Him, Christmas has a new meaning. This year I am filled with pure JOY over the season. It's more than just happiness. It's wonder, fulfillment, and absolute adoration.

When the root of Christmas is defined by the one that delivered us, then everything we do becomes a celebration of Him. He begins to reveal Himself in all of the silly, man-made traditions that can sometimes disguise and cover up the best gift ever given.

He has transformed some of the things I love the most about the season into symbols of Him and what we have been given. The lights on the tree have become a reminder of the light of the world. I mean, if we think all the big light shows are pretty and fun to admire... can you imagine what we will feel when we see Jesus?? The gifts under the tree have become a representation of what gift was given to us on the first Christmas. When people give us presents it typically makes us feel loved, known, and wanted. But when we think about God willingly coming as a man to walk the earth with us, and eventually die for us, then we can truly feel FREE. We feel free because when we accept Him and rest in His glory, then everything we do can become an act of worship in true celebration of who He is. And the thing I always long for the most on Christmas Day is the snow that is sung about in all of the festive songs, which is a reminder of a baby that became a savior. Snow falls and covers all of the dead, broken, lifeless things that winter brings. The snow represents Jesus' purity and righteousness. It represents how He came to save us and cover all of the darkness and brokenness in our lives.

I just think it's crazy and beautiful that a God that is so BIG can use our small, mundane traditions to show us just how awesome He really is. So, let this Christmas take on new meaning for you. It's not too late. Start resting in the wonder of the Christmas story. Maybe that means writing WONDER on your arm so that when you look down there's an automatic reminder of the reason for the season. Or maybe that means reading a few chapters a day from Luke and rediscovering the Christmas story. Whatever you do, don't forget to share it with others. Because this gift is the best soul food you'll ever receive.