Good Tidings of Comfort and Joy

Comfort and Joy

Brought to you By:

The brand new, oh-so-amazing Round Covered Baker from Pampered Chef that I just received! (So excited to make soup in this bad boy!)

AND

This video.

Okay, so these two things bring lots of laughter, happiness, warmth, and smiles into my life.  I mean, what is better than sitting inside on a cold wintry night with a nice bowl of warm soup, snuggled up in your blanket, watching Christmas movies?  Or listening to Christmas music and enjoying the silent lights of the Christmas tree?

This season is all about comfort and joy, but in a different way.  Last night I participated in a Messiah sing-a-long on BYU Campus.  It was lots of fun and my roommates and I definitely have some good memories from it.  But that words and message behind the Messiah are so powerful that I couldn't help but marvel at what we celebrate during this Christmas season.  Our Savior, Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas day and He can bring us more comfort and joy than we could ever imagine.  We can be instruments in his hands to bring to pass his glorious and eternal purposes.  There are so many people we can touch, so many lives that we can change by just having a Christmas spirit all year round and sharing the joy of Christ with them.  Christ was born to die so that we may live again.  That statement alone should bring us exuberant and overwhelming joy!  Joy to the world because the Lord came and died for us!  In accomplishing this task, he suffered every pain and hurt imaginable.  He was human, just like us.  He knows how we feel and because he knows how we personally feel, he can comfort us better than any other being on this Earth.  He knows how it feels to be betrayed.  He knows how it feels to be completely alone.  He knows how it feels to lose loved ones and family members.  He knows how it feels to not be trusted.  And because He loves us, He knows how it feels to watch those we love suffer.  He knows.  How cool is that?!  How I wish that everyone could hear this message, feel God's love, and know that He really is there!  It brings such joy to my life to know that I can feel His spirit with me all day, every day.  

I testify that He lives, that He loves us, and that He will comfort us.  Like a friend with open arms, He waits and beckons "Come, follow me."  Let nothing you dismay during this holiday season or anytime throughout the year because Christ is always there for you.  And that's really comforting. :]

On the First Day of Christmas

I think this song is funny, but emphasizes two main points.  One- Christmas has really become more about the money to be made and commercialism.  Two- It's starting sooner every year. (But mostly it's just funny)

I'm one of those people who hates when I see Christmas paraphernalia out before Thanksgiving.  Not because I'm a Scrooge, but because it's never the right Christmas stuff.  I would love it if nativity scenes were sold all year-round at major retailers.  As a collector of nativities, trust me- they are not easily found in shopping centers year-round.  I feel like I always see stockings and Santa and garlands and Christmas trees out long before any nativities.  I know lots of people have said it, but I'll say it again because Christmas has become so commercialized.  We need to remember the CHRIST in CHRISTmas.

If it weren't for Christ, our lives would be entirely different.  He created this Earth, the beautiful landscapes and animals which we pay money to see (Been to the zoo lately?  Or a national park?).  He presented the plan of happiness which allows us to potentially return to live with Him someday, and He is also the main part of that plan- He died to satisfy justice and allow God to exercise mercy.  How can we only remember Him once a year??

Growing up, I remember my sweet mother leaving the Holy Family part of her ceramic nativity on the mantel all year.  It never came down.  Baby Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Joseph were always there right next to the clocks and pictures.  One year, I asked her why.  No one else had their nativities up and they were a Christmas thing, weren't they?  She taught me that it's because we remember the Savior all year.  He is not just the reason for the season- He's the reason for everything.  Why can't we remember to honor Him more than just one month out of the year?

I have a wooden decorative piece that I put up just recently and it says "The magic of Christmas is not in the presents but in His presence."  His presence can be with us all year round.  He doesn't leave us on our own for eleven months out of the year and come around for December to celebrate.  He does not leave us comfortless.  He is with us always.  He loves us and remembers us all year round.  We should do the same for Him.