Empty Boxes?

As I sat in front of the tree, it was a few days before Christmas. The house was very quiet. I was the only one still awake. And I started thinking... I looked at all our decorations from 26 years of collecting, the white lights all aglow. The blinking angel on top of the tree which quit blinking that night.. Beautifully wrapped presents under the tree, ready to be eagerly opened in a few days. The day that we so anxiously have looked forward to would soon be here and then as quick as it came it would be over.


All the list making, the many Christmas cards we sent out, the shopping, the money spent, more shopping, the wrapping of presents, the stuffing of stockings, the Christmas caroling. All the preparation of food and candy and cookies. All these things that preoccupied our time and lives would soon be behind us.

We allow all this to raise our stress levels, tire ourselves out and spend more than we need to spend. We get so overwhelmed by it all that sometimes we are ready for it to be over before it even starts. That in itself is the saddest part of the whole thing.

We miss the reason we celebrate. We miss the immaculate conception. We miss the angel. We miss Mary and Joseph. We miss the star. We miss the shepherds and wise men. We miss the baby in the manger. We miss Jesus.

We put so much of ourselves into the "things" that we think make up Christmas, that we neglect the only thing that matters.

The birth of our Savior. Born in a stable in Bethlehem. Born to become King. Born to save us from our sins. Born to die. Born to rise. Born to come again. Hallelujah!

In a few days, Christmas will be over and all that will be left is remnants of paper and tattered bows, empty wallets, empty stockings, empty boxes.

The empty boxes represent the emptiness in our lives without Jesus. Let's take those boxes and fill them back up with praise, worship, giving, love, forgiveness and kindness. Let's keep our boxes full of Jesus so that we don't miss Him in our daily lives. Let's fill our hearts to overflowing with the love of Christ. Let's fill our boxes with gifts to lay at the feet of Jesus.

"Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, God with us" (Matthew 1:23)