I am aware of the bumper sticker nature of today's post title, but for me and millions of others, it is true.
Jesus gets me through the day. No matter how manic or depressed I may be, He is there encouraging me with eternal hope. Frustrations come and go. Grief visits occasionally. Feelings of dread or angst or anger or injustice or guilt plague me from time to time. But when I refocus on Jesus, when I put my hope in Him and live moment to moment in His grace, then I begin to live again.
He is my anchor in this life. Without Him I would be lost. I am so glad that He stopped by 2000 years ago to show us the way out of the weeds and into the high and fertile ground.
It's true that Christmas is not my favorite holiday. I am not convinced that it is Jesus' birthday. It is however, a good time to reflect on what He did for us while He was here.
1.) He taught us how we should live, how we should treat each other, what it means to be truly righteous and then He lived that life.
2.) He showed by His own example what it means to to sacrifice in this life for others and for God.
3.) He taught us that to be loved, we must love first.
4.) He brought us eternal hope; the knowledge that we would one day again see those we loved here that have gone on before us.
5) And He showed us His grace for the poor choices that we all make from time to time in this life.
You see, faith in Christ is not all a "pie in the sky", suffer here, glory in eternity type of thing. We can have those moments here and now. Victory is as much a state of mind or a location for the soul whether we are in the body or out of the body. We can and do enjoy that peace that passes understanding in the here and now.
This becomes a mystery passing strange to those that know us and do not believe. All I can say to you is turn your eyes toward Jesus. I do not care what your problems are with the church or with the Bible. Start with Jesus. Go to Him in prayer. Seek Him out. Find some peace and hope. Over time your tears will become tears of joy and not tears of loss.
Merry Christmas
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