The Message Of Christmas Is Simple, Relevant For Today

Whether it is Christmas time or not, people everywhere desire some kind of peace or tranquility.

Many of us run from one obligation to another, from one social activity to another, managing one crisis after another, without taking time to enjoy any of the events that make up life.

And in the midst of such a cyclone of activity, if we can slow down long enough to be honest with ourselves, we want peace.

But we want peace on our terms.

We want to have a life without conflict, difficulty, stress, trouble, threats, and fear.

We want an existence that is free from worry, headaches, heartaches, despair, and pain.

Without even thinking it through, we seek an everyday routine that is free from turmoil, free from anxiety, and free from problems, much in the same way that little children want a diet that consists only of candy.

But life doesn’t work that way, just as healthy diets can’t be all sugar and dessert.

We sometimes fail to understand that, and then to make matters a little more complicated, we pile on extra activities and then choose to worry about every single detail.

And then along comes Christmas — an event that the Bible clearly speaks of as a time of salvation, majesty, redemption, celebration— an event established to bring “…on earth peace, good will toward men.”

And we try to absorb that message in the light of our tumultuous existence.

From the vantage point of life’s chaos, it doesn’t always make sense.

We know the Christmas story. That God came to earth in the form of the Christ child, eventually completing our opportunity to be right with Him and to gain access to heaven.

Spiritual peace — reconciliation with God Himself — is possible because of Christ.

But if that is so, then why is life’s journey sometimes just one nerve-racking challenge after another?

Could it be that Christianity’s message of peace is something entirely different from our tendency to want a life free from problems and pain?

I believe so.

The Christian faith is one that can bring an authentic spiritual calmness to the heart, while our self-centered outlook merely seeks a life of ease.

And those two things are not the same.

Life will never be unending bliss, but it can include blissful fellowship with life’s Creator.

To focus only on troubles tends to choke the influence of Christ out of any life and to choke the Christmas spirit out of any December.

It is not possible to have peace if it is defined as the absence of turmoil. But it is possible through the Christmas message to have peace with God even in the midst of turmoil.

Pastor and author Dr. John MacArthur Jr. said that people on their own can never have any genuine, spiritual peace in life.

“Among those who do not know God,” he said, “there is no peace.”

Quite simply, we can face life’s storms without God, or we can face them with Him. The former can be terrifying. The latter feels more secure.

“Amazing Grace,” a church hymn known by many, speaks of a journey through life that is marked by difficulty: “Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come …”

And then it speaks of the steadfast peace that can be a part of that journey: “…‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.”

Things may be very busy, very difficult, or very perplexing, but the simple Christmas message — in its origins — is relevant for the complexities of life today.

DAVID WILSON, EDD, OF SPRINGDALE, IS A WRITER AND TEACHER AT HEART. HIS BOOK, LEARNING EVERY DAY, INCLUDES SEVERAL OF HIS COLUMNS AND IS NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON, ITUNES AND BARNES AND NOBLE. YOU MAY E-MAIL HIM AT DWNOTES@ HOTMAIL.COM. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.