christmas

Christ at the Heart of Christmas

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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Backstory:
Like most people, I have always loved the Christmas season. I remember the excitement I felt as a child at that time of year. I am the youngest of my parents' 3 daughters. We would come down the stairs and into the living room, usually oldest to youngest on Christmas morning to see what Santa brought for us. But some years I remember that my parents let me go first and that was always super exciting for me. For most children, Christmas is mostly about the presents Santa brings them. But as I have grown older, I have found a better meaning in Christmas than just the presents. There have been a couple years like last year for instance when I haven’t been very excited about the Christmas season. But most years I am more than ready to decorate my home for Christmas.

Christ at the Heart of Christmas

Growing up in a great Christian family, I always loved Christmas, but mostly because of what Santa brought me every year,
I think that most children are more focused on the presents than on the reason why this time of year is so dear.
I think that’s only natural for children, but as an adult my mindset has changed to something more sincere,
And now I want to talk about what Christmas means to me as I have put my mind into gear.

Instead of focusing on gifts, I like to focus more on who the Christmas season is about,
Christmas is supposed to be about the birth of my Savior, but sometimes in this material world, this important birth we seem to leave out.
I love to put up my Christmas tree and decorations probably because of the memories this reminds me of beyond all doubt,
I also love the feeling of love and kindness that we all feel this time of year when it feels like sometimes with kindness the world has been in a drought.

Yes I am human and I also get excited when people give me presents at Christmastime,
I think that feeling is normal and is not a crime.
But if that’s all I focus on then I should probably listen to the beautiful sounds of a bell chime,
For the “most wonderful time of the year” should be more about the birth of my Savior than about what I can get for a dime.

I love reading Christmas stories around this time of year about people being more kind,
They help me feel my mind unwind.
Then I feel better about the future of mankind,
But the greatest Christmas story ever told helps my mind and body feel more aligned.

Because Jesus was born and lived on the earth, the world around us can feel more peaceful,
Even when the world is all crazy and all we feel around us is evil.
During Christmastime and all year round we can be happier people,
And because of Jesus we can feel more cheerful.

The Takeaway: We all like getting gifts, especially at Christmastime. But we should focus more on the wonderful gift of our Savior and how we can be more like Him. We should learn from His example and try to emulate Him.

Because of Him, There is Hope

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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

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Backstory:
I listened to a podcast episode the other day. The hosts were talking about the phrase, “Confident Expectation”. I looked it up in Google and it defines this as “in a religious context to describe the trust in God’s promises to fulfill good things in the future.” I really love that definition and I think it goes really well with the hope we all feel during the Christmas season and that we should feel all year round because of Jesus.

Because of Him, There is Hope

Because of the Babe born in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago,
We can have hope that a miracle happened that night and we can feel that Christmas glow.
Because of that night we can believe that miracles can happen for us today and this we can know,
We can feel hope even when we feel like our trials are so huge that we can’t face another blow.

Because His mother Mary accepted the call to be the mother of the Son of God,
We can accept whatever God expects of us even when the request might seem odd.
I’m sure Mary felt overwhelmed and inadequate when the angel told her of her mission but she knew that she just needed to obey and nod,
This should give us hope and we should remember that even when we feel overwhelmed we always have someone up above rooting for our squad.

We can learn from Jesus’ teachings to always be kind and loving to those around us,
Because of Him we should never look at another person’s imperfections and make a fuss.
For Jesus was always loving to everyone He saw no matter what and this we should more thoroughly discuss,
Because of Him we always have someone to be there for us and this is a huge plus.

Because of Jesus’ suffering in Gethsemane we can feel a confident expectation that He knows how we are feeling,
At any given moment even when we feel alone we can feel His touch instead of squealing.
We can believe that He suffered everything that we will ever suffer and this can be for us very healing,
When we feel down and in the dumps all we need to do is kneel in prayer and this should feel more appealing.

So when we think about Christmas and at other times of the year we should be confident that because of the precious baby there is always hope,
Even when we feel like the world is too evil and we are at the end of our rope.
Because of Jesus we can always feel like we have a friend and we can better cope,
Also because of Him we can feel clean from our sins like when we wash our skin with soap.

The Takeaway: When we feel like our problems are too much to bear we just need to remember that Jesus is always there for us no matter what. He will always be by our side to help us when we feel overwhelmed.

Making Room for Christ

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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

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Backstory:
I really enjoyed the Christmas season this year. I enjoyed listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas movies, coloring in my Christmas coloring pages and spending time with family. I looked forward to Christmas for a couple of months. I do enjoy giving gifts and receiving gifts at Christmastime, I think we all do. But the main reason I enjoy Christmas so much is because of the hope that the birth, the life and the example of my Savior brings to me. So now that Christmas is over, what’s next? What do I have to look forward to now? What can I learn from the Christmas story to take with me in my daily life? One thing I have been thinking about that can be learned from is the story of the innkeeper in Bethlehem who didn’t have room for the Savior in his inn. It makes me wonder, “in my busy life, do I have room for my Savior? What can I do to make more room for Him?”

Making Room for Christ

One part of the Christmas story that makes me ponder is the story of the innkeeper and his attitude of gloom,
When Mary great with child and her husband Joseph stopped by his inn he said there was no room.
This part of the tale makes me wonder if the innkeeper had known who he spoke to if his answer would have been in a better tune,
For he didn’t know who that babe was Mary was carrying in her womb.

We live in a fast paced, chaotic and crazy world of instant gratification,
Sometimes it is hard to slow down when from our phone all we get is a constant notification.
We go so fast and so hard some days that we feel like we don’t need any justification,
But if we don’t slow down and let ourselves appreciate what we have then we are bound for mental suffocation.

So I think that we should learn to slow down and get our priorities straight,
The story of the innkeeper should make us wonder if we have room in our busy lives for more things that are great.
Do we have room for Jesus or do we constantly feel like those things just have to wait?
If we don’t have room for Him then we might be carrying too much weight.

As we continue on with our lives after the Christmas season,
Let’s try to focus on our Savior for He is the real reason.
When we feel like life is just too heavy, He can be our beacon,
We don’t need to feel alone because He will always be with us especially when we feel beaten.

So what can we do to remember Jesus more in our busy day?
We can try to be like Him and to help those in need find a better way.
We can read about His life and teachings in the scriptures and what price He had to pay,
Also we can remember that with us Jesus will always stay.

The Takeaway: We can learn a lesson from the story of the innkeeper who didn’t have room for Mary and Joseph in his inn. We should wonder if we have room for him in our busy lives. We should focus more on Him during the Christmas season and any time of year.

He Is the Greatest Gift

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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

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Backstory:
We all love getting gifts, whether it’s for our birthday, Mother’s Day or Christmas. I was thinking about gifts that we give to each other for Christmas. Then I thought of the most amazing gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Then I was wondering, “What gifts can I give my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, not only at Christmastime but all year round? How can I pay back the best gift ever given, my Savior?” 

He Is the Greatest Gift

We all love to get gifts and hopefully we like to give gifts as well,
So pondering on gifts I thought that the greatest gift ever that we could never sell.
I think the greatest gift we have been given is the baby in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago and this story we should always tell,
Our loving Heavenly Father chose to give us the gift of His Beloved Son and this should make our hearts with love swell.

What can we give back to our Heavenly Father for giving us this amazing gift?
We can give him all of our heart to help others heart’s lift.
I think to give Him what He wants from us we need to our priorities shift,
For if we focus more on how we can help others then maybe our spirits won’t feel so adrift.
We can give other people our forgiveness,
For our Heavenly Father always forgives us and we need to for Him be a better witness.
We should love others more instead of always being interested in their business,
We should be more concerned about how we can lift them when they have an illness.

We can also give our Father our whole hearts in serving Him,
For when we are serving others our problems won’t seem so grim.
Then we will see someone else’s perspective on their lives and how deep in their trials they swim,
And maybe from that perspective our trials will seem more slim.

I think no matter what I do I will never be able to pay back the gift of my Savior,
But maybe to start, I can be my best self and change my behavior.
Even though I will never pay back that gift I shouldn’t feel like a failure,
I will feel good about myself if I try my best and be a better team player.

The Takeaway: At Christmastime and other times of the year we should remember the wonderful gift of our Savior to the world. We should focus on Him and what we can give back to Him because of His precious gift to us. Because of Him, there is always hope.

The Light and Warmth of Christ

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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

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Backstory:
I listened to a couple of audiobooks of Christmas regency romance novellas. It was mentioned in a couple of those novellas about a Yule Log at Christmas time. So I looked this up to see if it was a tradition during the regency era in England. It was for a while. They would cut down a very large piece of wood, decorate it with greenery, ribbons or carved symbols and they would bring it into the home with a small ceremony. They would sometimes briefly sit on it which meant good luck. Then they would burn it in their fireplace. The log was seen as “untouched power” or a blessing waiting to be released. Sitting on it before it burned was a way to receive the blessing firsthand and it symbolically joined the household to the light and warmth that would come. 

The Light and Warmth of Christ

Just like sitting on the Yule Log was a small act of trust because the luck hadn’t come yet,
We often sit in the almost moments before we see the answer or the light of our trust in Christ is set.
The Yule Log became a symbol of hopeful waiting for blessings to come,
Before Jesus came to the earth as a baby, believers waited in darkness wondering where hope would come from.

Because Jesus came to the earth we now have a witness that there is a light in the darkness,
Even though we might have days when we feel discouraged, there is always a light because of Jesus’goodness.
Before the Yule Log burned, the people were physically connected to the place where the light and warmth would soon begin,
We can draw near to Christ-the true Light of the World even before we feel His warmth on our skin.

Sometimes Christmas is about seeking Jesus in simple, quiet ways 
Like kneeling, praying, waiting and trusting so that our spirits won’t be in a haze.
The Yule Log became like the manger-humble and simple but soon to glow with divine light,
For us the light we seek especially at Christmastime because of Jesus is within our sight.

Families sat on the log before it was lit as a sign of readiness to receive of blessings awaiting them,
We can prepare room in our hearts for the light that Christ can bring to us like a precious gem.
A plain log became a source of warmth, protection and blessings only once the fire kindled it,
Jesus came in the most ordinary way and yet He became the Light of the World that can always be lit.

So when you have a day when all you see around you is darkness and despair,
Just know that the beautiful Light of your Savior for you will always be there.
Because of Jesus, even on your darkest day, there is always hope,
Even though you will still have hard days, you can more easily cope.

The Takeaway: In tradition, sitting on the Yule Log didn’t create the blessing-it simply positioned them to receive it. We don’t create salvation or grace; we simply come close enough to Christ to be changed by Him. I think the purpose of why we celebrate Christmas is so that we can feel the warmth and hope of the Light of the World, or our Savior Jesus Christ more in our lives.