Every Christmas season we’re barraged with holiday clichés and messages of love and peace. Christian ministries remind us to “keep Christ in Christmas,” and every church sermon somehow intertwines the message of “goodwill to all men.”
All of this is good. In fact, Christ should be the focal point of our celebration. But sometimes, the debate of “keep Christ in Christmas” takes away from the simplest, most profound duty of a Christ-follower.
Come let us adore Him.
All year round, I find myself striving. It’s a constant battle of trying to fit in, a deep-rooted desire to be noticed and accepted. It’s a strangling web of looking to humanity to feel worthy.
Maybe if I dress a certain way, eat a specific diet, watch a popular movie, then I will feel satisfied.
And yet, it only leaves me disillusioned, still feeling like a misfit in the world I’ve been born into. I wish I could say I am alone in this struggle, but I fear I’m not. I can look around and see so many of my peers striving to fit in, looking for a means of acceptance. It is a spiral of ugly emotions and feelings of worthlessness.
The thing is, as we long to be accepted by others, Jesus beckons, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
This is a verse we’re all probably familiar with, and yet one that has become a spiritual cliché of sorts—one we’ve heard so many times that we now quickly glance over it and fail to take its message to heart. Jesus (our Lord and Savior) calls us to Him, and He gives us rest. This is a truth, a promise, we too often find dull and meaningless. In reality, this promise of rest is the very thing we’re striving for, and yet time and time again fall short of.
All of our striving can come to a screeching halt. We can find eternal rest in our Lord and Savior. Though we may fail, we can still choose today to rest in grace.
Finding favor in humanity is temporary. It might give us a brief dopamine high, but has proven itself to sooner or later end in disappointment and dissatisfaction. People pleasing demonstrates a lack of trust in God. He is enough, He alone will satisfy. The question is, will we trust Him with our self-worth?
Will we join the apostle Paul in asking, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10)
Finding favor in humanity is temporary. It might give us a brief dopamine high, but has proven itself to sooner or later end in disappointment and dissatisfaction. Will we trust God with our self-worth? Share on XWe’re called to be set apart. We are children of God, exuding His Light. We do not need to look for acceptance in the world because this world is not our home. God calls us His children, our worth is in Him. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever and therefore our identity Him is unchanging.
All our striving can disintegrate in adoration of God.
We have been created to worship. Whether we worship the approval of others or fall on our knees before God, we cannot help but worship something or Someone—it is our created purpose.
When we boldly come before our Lord and Savior and offer a sacrifice of praise, our hearts align with who God is.
We have been created to worship. Whether we worship the approval of others or fall on our knees before God, we cannot help but worship something or Someone---it is our created purpose. Share on XUltimately, it doesn’t matter if this year we win the media over to “keep Christ in Christmas” if we ourselves are not standing in adoration of who God is.
All our striving will continue into the new year unless we fall on our knees in adoration and declare, “I can’t do this on my own!” Striving for unfulfilling acceptance will only end when we can surrender it to Christ and stand in awe of who He is and who He has created us to be.
This Christmas, this upcoming new year, let us come and adore Him. Let us join the angel voices and declare Him King of our lives, Savior of this world.
Amidst the wrapping paper, the orchestra concerts, the chaos of shopping, and the excess of tinsel, let’s take a deep breath and come to our Savior who beckons us to find our rest in Him.
Editor’s Note: this article was previously published in 2018.
