Putting "Christ" Back in "Christmas"

By: Sophia Novak

Image courtesy of Christ Follower Life.

December is a season of celebration. A time of joy, family, happiness, and a time when we

celebrate the birth of Christ. As this Advent season quickly comes to a close and the holiday season

begins to die down, it's a great time to reflect on how much we truly devoted ourselves to Christ

throughout this Advent season.

It's remarkable to consider how God sent His Son into the world so we can have eternal life, and

even more amazing to realize that we get the chance to truly celebrate Him on the day He came to our

world. Many of us simply go through the motions of the Christmas season without stopping to think about all the incredible blessings we are given because of this special day all those years ago. That's why it's so essential for all of us to think about the true meaning of the Birth of Christ and the true meaning of the Advent season.

The purpose of Advent is to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ into our lives, and many

people tend not to consider the profound significance of this truly remarkable event. During Advent, I set

a few goals that I would like to accomplish before the Christmas season begins. Ultimately, taking the

time to reflect on all the things I completed was a great way to demonstrate life improvement and

something that I think many people should try to do. Doing even a small sacrifice during this season is

something that God really appreciates. It could have been something as simple as thanking God for

blessing you with another day, or something as profound as dedicating multiple moments throughout your day to prayer.

Many people tend to forget that Advent is a time to reflect honestly on the coming of Christ. With

Christmas so close, people tend to be anxious to get through the Advent season to get to all the holiday

festivities. However, upon closer consideration, Advent is just as important as Christmas Day. As many of

you know, each week of Advent focuses on a different thing: Peace, Love, Hope, and Joy. These words

are some that are in many people's daily vocabulary, but Advent gives all of us a time to think about the

true meaning of each of these on a more profound level. These are four things that Jesus's birth revolved

around. Taking the chance to reflect on each of these special words throughout the weeks of Advent is a

true blessing.

Even though the Advent season has passed, it does not mean that it is too late to prepare for the

coming of the Lord. All of us can take the chance to do something to put God in the center of our lives,

even if it only seems like a small moment. God does not want us to wait for specific seasons of the

Church, such as Lent or Advent. He wants us always to try to make an impact that strengthens our

relationships with Him, even if it's small, and take slow steps closer to Him. This Christmas season has

been brief but very meaningful; God's love for us remains, and we can still celebrate Him and His works,

even if it's not the holiday season.

So I challenge you: as this past year's Advent and Christmas season comes to an end, and as we

enter this new year of our lives, to make a pact with Christ to put Him before everything, and to show

Him how much you treasure His relationship with all your heart.