I love this time of year. Not because of time with family, though I love them dearly. Not because of gift giving and trappings, though those are incredibly fun. Not even because of all the fun and beautiful music that is played only seasonally. I love this time of year because God always seems to use it as an opportunity to reawaken my heart.
My heart comes alive because the fullness Jesus and all He is and has done comes clearly into focus. The reality that God shaped all of history from the fall of man to perfectly arrange the moment when His son would come to earth. I imagine that the evening of his birth all of nature held its breath when realizing God in His fullness had physically joined His creations.
As you get busy this season with family and gift giving and trappings of music and fun, remember to slow down, if only for a moment, and allow the realization to wash over you that God forever changed history when He physically entered it.
“Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10 (ESV)