You’ve seen this happen before. There’s that one gift left unopened under the Christmas tree. Maybe you forgot it was there, maybe you’re unsure of what it might be and let’s be honest, if you get one more sock bunny from Aunt Maggie, you’re going to scream. Or maybe you don’t trust the person who the gift is from so you feel like it’s better for everyone if it just lays there unopened.

But can you imagine if you open it and it’s nothing like you expected? What if that oddly shaped box contains the keys to a new car? Or what if that envelope is not just a card, but a cheque for a deposit on your first home? What if it is leaps and bounds beyond what you expected it to be?

I think it can be like that with the true meaning of Christmas. Amidst all the hustling, stress, family drama, work functions, present buying, it can all seem a bit overwhelming and maybe we should just leave Christmas there in the corner, like an unopened gift.

But what if the true meaning of Christmas is nothing like you expected? What if all you don’t know or understand about Christmas is better than anything you can imagine?

You see, the true meaning of Christmas is better than the most extravagant gift you could ever hope to receive. The gift of Christmas that often is left unopened under the tree is the gift of salvation that Jesus Christ came to give us all.

I love this verse in 1 Corinthians 2:9 which says,

No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
    and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
    for those who love him.

Maybe the gift of Jesus has been packaged in a strange way which turned you off. Maybe you’ve tried going to church but people disappointed you. Maybe it all seems too simple so you’ve assumed it’s not for you.

Wherever you find yourself today, I believe it’s no accident that you are reading this. I want to encourage you to pick up the true meaning of Christmas, that unopened gift under the tree and discover it to be more than you ever dreamed or imagined.

No matter your previous experience, there are a couple of truths that never change:

  1. Jesus loves you more than anyone ever has or ever will.  Why you may ask? Well it’s because He created you in His likeness to have a relationship with you. He longs to be in your life.
  2. People may disappoint you but Jesus never will. We as human beings are all the same in the sense that we are not perfect and we will get it wrong and mess it up. That’s why it’s important to not follow people but follow the example of Jesus. He’s the only perfect One that has ever walked on this earth. He will not disappoint you or let you down.

Regardless of any previous experience you may have had involving Jesus, can I ask you this Christmas to take a bold step and open His gift for you? You may just find it more amazing than anything you’ve ever known.

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