There is a poem that I heard when I was young, and it always comes to mind around Christmastime. There are different versions of it, but if I remember correctly, it goes something like this:

"What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb. If I were a wise men, I would do my part; yet what can I give Him? Give Him my heart."

At Christmas, we remember how God gave us an incomparable gift. A gift in which he wrapped all His love and forgiveness. He gave us His only Son, Jesus, to be born as a baby and later grow to be our Savior and Redeemer. When we think about the greatness of this gift, there is absolutely NOTHING that we could give God to compare with His gift to us. However, there is one thing that would be the best gift we could give Him... Our heart!

When we make the decision to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we come to be his children. And just like we, as parents, rejoice at the birth of our children, God also rejoices as our Heavenly Father when we are "born" in faith.  The love that He feels towards us never ends. Despite our failures and imperfections, God loves us and desires that, we too, love Him in return.

This Christmas, my beloved reader, I encourage you to give your heart to Jesus. The joy, peace, and love that you will feel has no comparison. Even when trials and hard times come in our lives, we can completely trust that we are not alone because Jesus is by our side and will never leave or forsake us. If you give your life completely to God, you can be sure that He will do marvelous things in your life. Only in Jesus will we be complete. It is because of this amazing gift that we can truly celebrate Christmas.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, there are so many distractions during Christmastime that we sometimes lose focus of the true reason of Christmas... Jesus Christ. Allow us to recognize how very much you love us and the great sacrifice that you made when you sent your Son to this world. Help us never take your amazing gift for granted, and allow us to live each and every day for you. Gratefully. In Jesus name, amen."

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

1. Proverbs 23:26 (NIV).