Reason #342
My grandad used to sing this song every year on Christmas Eve at church, "Sweet Little Jesus Boy." The grandkids would sit around him and he'd sing this song as if he were telling us the story of who this baby Jesus was. It's a really sweet memory that I'll always have, and I cannot hear this song without thinking back to those Christmas Eves. I so clearly remember sitting on the steps of the sanctuary as a little girl listening to him sing.
This is one of the many things I love about Christmas. Christmas is a time jam-packed full of memories. A time when we reflect. A time when we recall things. And we have these traditions to help us remember. Traditions that keep these memories ingrained in our minds so that we don't forget.
But sometimes those traditions and those memories can make it really tough. Sometimes they can bring sorrow with them. Not all memories are sweet, after all. But that's why we cling to the good ones. We bring them back to mind again and again and we hold on to them. We keep them alive by passing them on. Just like this story of a sweet baby, named Jesus, who was born thousands of years ago. We recall this story even though we weren't there to witness it ourselves. We remember the details that were shared with us. Mary, Joseph, the stable, Bethlehem, a manger, angels, shepherds, wisemen. We cling to these memories because they bring hope. Hope and joy and peace into our hectic lives. We pause to remember this event, remember why He came, and it's because of that that we can get through whatever life hands us. Whatever we're facing, be it uncertainties, difficulties, stress, or ease, we make it a point to at least once a year recall a memory of hope and it brings a comforting light into our lives. And by doing this, we keep the memory alive. Because it is, after all, only a memory. It's not the end of the story, or just a sweet story to share once a year. Rather, it's the beginning of something beautiful. The night when hope was birthed, when light entered into the darkness, and when salvation for all mankind made its appearance. This is a story worth sharing, a story worth keeping alive.
So I'm beginning to create new Christmas traditions that will become sweet memories, but there are many traditions that I really look forward to passing on to my babies to be one day. This is one of them. The story of Jesus, a sweet baby who was born to take away our sins. One who came to save us. One who came to bring us abundant life. This is something worth remembering and recalling more than just once a year. And so I'll pass it on just as it was passed on to me. And I'm thankful for that. Thankful for the sweet baby who came to free me, redeem me and to change my life!
#342 - For sweet memories and the birth of our Savior!
"And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger..." - Luke 2:6-7
This is one of the many things I love about Christmas. Christmas is a time jam-packed full of memories. A time when we reflect. A time when we recall things. And we have these traditions to help us remember. Traditions that keep these memories ingrained in our minds so that we don't forget.
But sometimes those traditions and those memories can make it really tough. Sometimes they can bring sorrow with them. Not all memories are sweet, after all. But that's why we cling to the good ones. We bring them back to mind again and again and we hold on to them. We keep them alive by passing them on. Just like this story of a sweet baby, named Jesus, who was born thousands of years ago. We recall this story even though we weren't there to witness it ourselves. We remember the details that were shared with us. Mary, Joseph, the stable, Bethlehem, a manger, angels, shepherds, wisemen. We cling to these memories because they bring hope. Hope and joy and peace into our hectic lives. We pause to remember this event, remember why He came, and it's because of that that we can get through whatever life hands us. Whatever we're facing, be it uncertainties, difficulties, stress, or ease, we make it a point to at least once a year recall a memory of hope and it brings a comforting light into our lives. And by doing this, we keep the memory alive. Because it is, after all, only a memory. It's not the end of the story, or just a sweet story to share once a year. Rather, it's the beginning of something beautiful. The night when hope was birthed, when light entered into the darkness, and when salvation for all mankind made its appearance. This is a story worth sharing, a story worth keeping alive.
So I'm beginning to create new Christmas traditions that will become sweet memories, but there are many traditions that I really look forward to passing on to my babies to be one day. This is one of them. The story of Jesus, a sweet baby who was born to take away our sins. One who came to save us. One who came to bring us abundant life. This is something worth remembering and recalling more than just once a year. And so I'll pass it on just as it was passed on to me. And I'm thankful for that. Thankful for the sweet baby who came to free me, redeem me and to change my life!
#342 - For sweet memories and the birth of our Savior!
"And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger..." - Luke 2:6-7
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