Treasure Them in Your Heart

My Christmas wish to you, my dearest BFFs (Blessed Friends Forever), is that your celebration of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ is filled with awe and wonder. That’s the true “magic” of Christmas, isn’t it?

So here’s an excerpt just for you from my 365-day devotional, Too Blessed to be Stressed: 3-Minute Daily Devotions for Morning & Evening:

Christmas Wonder

Ah, Christmas Day. Do you recall the beauty, excitement, and pure wonder of it all when you were a little girl? Truly a day to look forward to all year long.

But then something happened. You grew up. And once it fell to you to make Christmas happen for others, endless tasks, responsibility, and stress ripped much of the amazement from the day.  

So take a moment now, like Mary, to treasure up images of Christmas and ponder them in your heart:

• The Son of God – the holy Christ-child – lying peacefully in a lowly cow trough.
• A sky filled with angels singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men of good will.”
• Astounded, hope-filled shepherds kneeling before the newborn King.
• Smiles lighting the faces of children – first you as a child and now your own kids. 
• Waves of love, awe, and gratitude overflowing your heart for the precious gift of Jesus, Redeemer of your soul. 

Yes, sweet friend, the wonder is still there. Some years it may be buried deeper than others, but it’s treasured up and always available if you take the time to ponder each precious memory. 

From my heart to yours, I wish you an extraordinarily blessed celebration of the birth of our Savior. And remember, to avoid the post-Christmas blues, don’t put away Christ with Christmas! 

“They [shepherds] hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2: 16-19 NIV).