The Real Gifts of Christmas

The droplets of water on this Poinsettia 
reminded me this morning that he will wash away all our tears.
They glistened like little diamonds when the sun came out.

Who is this Christ of whom they speak? Who is this child born in a lowly stable in the hills of Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago of whom the world celebrates each day, not just at Christmas?

He is the Son of the Living God, our Savior, our Friend, our Brother, our Exemplar, our Healer, our Hope, our Redeemer, the Great I AM, the Prince of Peace. Do we have any idea really of His Greatness and Magnificence, His Power or His Glory? I wonder, do we know?

Mary Did You Know?

I really don't think she did know. She learned line upon line, precept upon precept just as we all must do. Learning to know of Jesus Christ is a life long pursuit, but learning to know Christ is really who He proclaimed to be takes but a moment, when the Holy Ghost testifies of Him to our hearts. When our testimony of that is born our life is changed forever.

                                                 His Promises and His Peace

He promises us that we can live forever, which gives us undying hope that one day we will rest from all our labors and cares of this world and live with Him again. There will be a better tomorrow.

He has left us His promise that He has gone to prepare a mansion for us and that He will return again to rule and reign.

He has promised us that the home we long for, where things are perfect and just and good and right can be ours again. That longing that we experience here will be gone, we will be home and whole again. That emptiness we sometimes feel inside will be gone. Our rejoicing will be effortless, we will just BE joyful. The searching for it will be over.

He promises us we will be restored to our perfect frame, not a hair of our heads will be lost. We will be healed each and every one of us, and we will be perfect and our very best selves and we will be that way forever. We will never again be stricken with degeneration, illness or disease or infirmities or death. There will be no more sorrow, no more pain or loneliness. Can you even imagine such a thing?

He has promised us His Unconditional Love. We have it, it is ours now and will be forever. We should never feel unloved or unaccepted or isolated again. Why is this hard to remember and realize in our darkest hours?

He promises us, forgiveness if we repent, no matter how grave our transgressions. He promises us we can forgive also and he will heal our broken hearts through His atonement. He has promised us that we have the potential to change and grow and learn and become more like Him. He promises us that if we lay down our burdens, He will take them up for us.

He has promised us that He will never leave us alone or comfortless. He will help us with all we need. He will bless us through the countless kind acts of others, as well as, and through His Miracles.

He promises us that Satan can never win the war, that Heavenly Father's way will prevail and overcome all evil! We can find peace in knowing that although the battle rages, we can bet on the winning team and be a part of it.

We are promised that one day every knee will bend and confess that Jesus is the Christ. We are promised that wickedness never was happiness and that righteousness is God's plan for our happiness and joy. We are blessed to know that plan, the choices are ours through His gift of agency.

We have been promised that through prayer we can call upon God the Father at any time of the day or night, in any circumstance and He will intercede for us because He not only loves us but understands us perfectly.

We have been promised eternal life with all our family sealed together forever in His Love. There are no words to describe the joy of that.

We have been promised that our trials and tribulations are but for a moment and if we endure it well we shall be lifted up unto Him forever.

We have been promised that if we follow His plan of happiness and joy we will inherit all that He has.

And if all of that could be summed up in a phrase...He has given us His Peace for Christmas, which passeth all understanding.

And I think that is exactly what everyone really wants for Christmas. These are the things that the people (that were telling us what they wanted for Christmas on that street corner) were really seeking. Promises, Peace, and Joy like we have known and loved before ~ in our first perfect home.

As we long to experience that again both in this life and the next, may we be an instrument in His hands by remembering Him and bringing thoughts of His gifts to others, in our very human way,with our love and acts of service and with our traditions and symbols that serve to remind us of all these beautiful and eternal gifts of the Savior. In that way it truly can be a very Merry Christmas for us all.