On this Christmas Eve I have much to be thankful for. One thing I am grateful for is that I don’t have to put any gifts together for Christmas this year. The kids are teenagers now and the gifts require more money but less assembly. I’m willing to make that trade.
Through Christmas past I remember long nights of assembling bicycles. My long tradition of minimal mechanical inclinations and unwillingness to read instructions probably contributed to the stress of those holiday seasons. A few years back, Lauren was into a set of plastic horses. Of course the horses came with dozens of accessories. One of those items was a barn for the horses. Carrying the box almost left me a broken man. As I unpacked the contents to begin Christmas Eve assembly, I found that the only thing I didn’t have to do was cut down the tree for the wooden materials of the barn. Considerable assembly was required. Hours later, it was finished and she was thrilled on Christmas morning.
If we are to really experience the true meaning of Christmas, there is at least one lesson we should remember from those “some assembly required” labels each Christmas. It is this: Follow the instructions and discover the main part. On the first Christmas the Bible says, “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.” (Luke 2:15-16, NIV). Follow the instructions – seek after Christ – He is the main part. Have a blessed, Christ-filled Christmas.
