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If all you knew about Christmas were the ads you saw around Christmas time, you'd think Christmas was a season of perfect joy, festivities, and fond family memories. But let's be real. Christmas can also mean plenty of stress, a bunch of family drama, and maybe even some grief. Maybe you lost a loved one this year, or you're exhausted splitting time between divorced parents, or you don't have the means to exchange the kinds of gifts you want to exchange, or you're having to spend more time with family members who frustrate or have hurt you.
At Christmastime, you may not always feel like singing "Joy to the World," but here's the thing I've discovered. With Jesus, joy is always possible (even when happiness isn't) because joy runs deeper than our circumstances. This Christmas, God has already offered you this gift. Because with the gift of Jesus we're also given this truth: Jesus brings joy.
When you hear people celebrating the joy Jesus brings, what feelings come up for you?
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About this Plan
At Christmastime, there's always a lot for us to look forward to — sometimes impatiently. But you know the saying, "good things come to those who wait”? It's true for Christmases now, but it was true on the very first Christmas as well, when God's long-awaited plan began to unfold. In this 20-day devotional series from Grow Curriculum, we’ll hear more about God's plans for us and the whole world.
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