When I say, "I've grown out of Christmas", I'm not saying I've grown out of the story of the birth of Jesus and how he came down from Heaven to Earth as a baby and grew up in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52 NIV). That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying that I've grown out of the version of Christmas that society has built over the years. Society has told us that Christmas is about presents and gifts.

The Bible says that Christmas is about ONE GIFT. God's gift of his Son. John 3:16 says that "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life". God GAVE his Son. He let go of his Son and gave him to the world, so that we may all be with Him someday. Society says that we need multiple presents and gifts to be happy. God says, "I have already given you the most precious gift of them all; my Son".

When I say, "I've grown out of Christmas", I'm not saying I've grown out of Jesus, but society's version of Christmas. As much as I love the lights, the snow, the feeling of "Christmas" in the air, that "feeling" is society telling me how to feel in the month of December. Christmas shouldn't be a "feeling" for one month. It's a celebration of God's gift to us, that should be year-round.

Every time we pray and worship our Lord, we are celebrating the existence of Jesus and his wonders and mercies every day. I'm not saying we should celebrate Christmas every day, but we should make the conscious effort each day to remember that we are blessed with the day we have and the moments we have. Nothing is guaranteed. Bless the Lord for every moment you have. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you thought about the reason for the season.