Holiday Reflections

Celebrating the Light that entered our world. This collection features original reflections and musings centered on the sacred seasons of Christmas and Easter, offering rest and rejoicing for the soul.

Learning to Adore Jesus

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Image by Jessica Lewis on pexels.com

Backstory:
One day I was thinking about the Christmas hymn, O Come, Let Us Adore Him. I thought to myself that I know that Jesus definitely adores me. Sometimes I can’t imagine why because I am so human. But I know that He is super kind and compassionate and that He sees the best in me. So I asked myself, “how can I show Jesus that I adore Him like He adores me not just at Christmastime but throughout the year?” I looked at the meaning of “adore" and it is to worship, to bow before, or to give one’s heart in reverence. 

Learning to Adore Jesus?

When we sing, “O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord,
We are not just inviting people to look at the baby Jesus in one accord.
We are inviting them to recognize His divinity as our Redeemer and Savior,
And to offer our hearts to Him, not just our voices, so that we can change our behavior.

This is a call for all of us to worship Jesus as our God, 
For we can win any battle with Him in our cheering squad.
The shepherds, the wise men and the angels were all called to adore Him,
And we are also called to do the same so the light inside us will never dim.

They were led by a bright star in the sky,
But they didn’t stop to think why.
They just obeyed the call and went to worship the baby,
Even though it might have seemed a little crazy.

In our day, we can adore Jesus by remembering His Atoning Sacrifice for us,
That He purchased our struggles and pains for a huge price and He didn’t make a fuss.
We can adore Him by looking toward Him for our strength and hope,
Then in our trials we can more easily cope.

We can adore Jesus by trusting that we are in His Loving and Capable Hands,
And that with us He always stands.
We can adore Him by becoming more kind, forgiving and compassionate towards other people,
So that our lives can feel less chaotic and more peaceful.

The Takeaway: When we hear the words, “O come, let us adore Him” at Christmastime, we should also hear Jesus whisper back to us, “I have adored you first.” This feeling should make us want to be closer to our Beloved Savior and to be more like Him. We can learn a lot from His example of how He adores us so that we can more properly adore Him.

If I Had Been There

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

picture by Alessandro Bellone on unsplash.com

Backstory:
I love Easter and I always have. But especially this year I have tried to focus on the meaning and importance of Easter more. I have listened to a couple of podcasts, watched videos and read scriptures on the topic. So with this focus in mind, I had a thought this morning, “what would it have been like to be there when Jesus was on the earth? What would it have been like to witness all of those miracles?” I think it would have been really amazing, but especially to witness the miracle of Jesus’ Resurrection.

If I Had Been There

I sometimes wish I could have been there,
When Jesus was on the earth and to breathe the same air,
Being there and seeing those beautiful moments would have been rare,
I can imagine that it would have helped me feel like life is more fair.

I can imagine how the people felt to see Jesus teach,
To be one of His followers and hear an amazing speech,
I would have felt that His love is never beyond my reach,
It would have been awe-inspiring to see him minister to each.

To be there when He healed the people,
That would have made me feel very thankful,
After seeing those miracles there would have been no equal,
Picturing those images helps me feel peaceful.

How would I have felt to be there when Jesus climbed the hill?
The feeling of waiting for Him to do His work would have been still,
He suffered for all of us and did His Father’s will,
For He knew we needed Him to pay that heavy bill.

But what would it have been like to be there to see the Risen Lord?
I can imagine that my Spirit would have soared,
To be there, Jesus’ love from Him must have poured,
To be there would have been worth more in money than I could ever afford.

The Takeaway: Even though I wasn’t there to see the many miracles and the amazing moments of when Jesus was on the earth, I can still feel the joy and peace as if I had been there. I can’t imagine what Jesus went through to suffer for me and for you. But I can feel His love for me every day and so can you. Because of His love for us we can feel hope and joy in our hearts and our lives.