A Perfect Presence

Every year, you swear you won’t do it again, but here you are. The schedule is over-booked. The dinner burned. The gifts weren’t right. (Although the kids just play with the boxes anyway.) The cat keeps knocking over the tree. The infighting never seems to stop. And the holiday joy is nowhere to be found.

You’re over-spent—financially, emotionally, mentally, and physically. The harder you squeeze to get the perfect Christmas, the more you’ve suffocated the joy. No matter how many “Jesus is the reason for the season” signs you hang, his coming gets lost in all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

When our plans fail or are interrupted, it’s a good moment to pause and reflect on what’s most important—a Savior was born to rescue you, to save us from ourselves.

The Messiah.

Jesus.

Scripture reminds us that we can experience joy in the presence of the Lord. Jesus’s coming stirred the praises of a heavenly host. Likewise, his coming now and later bring joy and singing and ecstatic happiness for those in good standing with him, those who are looking for him. Though the season of Advent is meant to celebrate Jesus’s birth, life, and his showing us the way to the Father, we can get lost in putting the celebrations over the Celebrated. We can miss the main event when we become too enamored with the festivities.

But the angel said, “Don't be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David's hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2: 10-11 (CEV)

But the good news is, there is a way to refocus. We just have to hand over our plans. Let go of your need to host the perfect dinner. Get out the packaged cheese and crackers, if necessary. Set aside the toy fiasco and send everyone outside with a cup of cocoa to look at the stars and admire the beauty of God’s creation. Or quiet all the noise and set everyone down to take turns reading the Christmas story.

It’s simple, and yet it’s very hard, to abandon our vision of a perfect Christmas. But when we surrender our desires, we make room for Jesus to come. True joy rides in with him. After all, the perfection of Christmas is only found in one thing—Jesus.

PRAY

Lord, more than anything, my family needs you to come. We want your presence, and we need your joy. May we look to you no matter what goes right or wrong this holiday season. Amen.

TIME TO TALK

Conversation starter for kids: Provides you with questions and prompts to facilitate a time of applicable discussion with children to lead them towards knowing God and His Word more deeply.

Question(s): What things about Jesus make you happy?

Apply: Make it a tradition to have a quiet night talking about Jesus. Instead of just saying the cliché “Jesus is the reason for the season,” talk about why that is true.

KEEP IT GOING

Related passages: These additional verses will help parents expand their Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day.

Psalm 21:6

John 15:10-11