Oh How He loves Us

As Christmas approaches, I have been crazy busy as it seems most of us are in anticipation of the holidays- shopping for gifts, decorating, wrapping, baking, etc. There is just so much to be done at this time of year. It is easy for me to get wrapped up in the stress and forget the purpose of it all- celebrating the birth of Jesus. He is the reason for this season of celebration, but it seems He often gets left out and forgotten- even by those of us (myself included) who want to keep Him at the center.

Today I am staying at home all day in an attempt to bring order to the chaos of both my home and heart. This morning I've been listening to a song that really gripped me recently. So often I become discouraged by my own failures and shortcomings and this song reminds me that God knows all about me and loves me anyway. In fact He loves you and me so much that He sent His Son, Jesus to earth to live the life that we could never live and die the death that we should have died. That is what we are celebrating at Christmas- the birth of a Savior. He saves us from sin and saves us from ourselves! Now with my faith and trust in Him, I am free to live by His grace a life of love. The cry of my heart is that you too will know His love for you and be embraced by His grace and peace this Christmas!

"God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die." John 3:16 (CEV)

"We consider Christmas as the encounter, the great encounter, the historical encounter, the decisive encounter, between God and mankind. He who has faith knows this truly; let him rejoice." Pope Paul VI