Shopping for the last gift. Figuring out what you’re going to wear to your fourth Christmas party. Assembling the grocery list for Christmas Eve. Making sure you didn’t leave anyone off your Christmas card list. And so on…

Our time is held captive by the myriad of tasks we must do during the Christmas season. And if we’re not careful, this list can strip us of remembering the true “reason for the season.” We celebrate Christmas to remember Jesus taking on flesh and stepping into this world. When we open the pages to the beginning of Luke, we read in awe of the unfolding events that brought us the baby Jesus laying in a manger.

Over 2000 years have passed since the moment Jesus breathed His first breath. During this time, Christmas has become more about expectations other people placed on us and less about the expectations our Heavenly Father has for us. To do this, we must give Jesus our hearts and not just our minds. We must declare with words, actions, and priorities that Jesus truly is the reason for the season.