The Names of Jesus: JESUS
“I AM THE GIFT that continuously gives – bounteously, with no strings attached. Unconditional Love is such a radical concept that even My most devoted followers fail to grasp it fully. Absolutely nothing in heaven or on earth can cause Me to stop loving you. You may feel more loved when you are performing according to your expectations. But My Love for you is perfect; therefore it is not subject to variation. What does vary is your awareness of My loving Presence.
When you are dissatisfied with your behavior, you tend to feel unworthy of My Love. You may unconsciously punish yourself by withdrawing from Me and attributing the distance between us to My displeasure. Instead of returning to Me and receiving My Love, you attempt to earn My approval by trying harder. All the while, I am aching to hold you in My everlasting arms, to enfold you in My Love. When you are feeling unworthy or unloved, come to Me. Then ask for receptivity to My unfailing Love.“
-“Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young
Jesus,
Thank you for showing your true love by setting aside your Glory when you came to Earth as a baby for my salvation. Help me to remember this throughout the holiday season. You truly are the reason for the season. You were the ultimate gift, and your love has never wavered since. Allow me to find rest and peace in your unconditional love.
Amen
TRUE LOVE WAS BORN IN A STABLE
What an amazing statement that is sometimes hard to truly grasp in all its immensity! As we strive to keep Christ in Christmas, I want to teach my children, not only the story of Baby Jesus, but also the earthly beginning of the only TRUE LOVE that we can ever really experience.
Because our oldest is still so young (Sophie is 21 months), I knew I needed to find some creative ways to bring Jesus into our Christmas. We are using The Story of Christmas Advent and the FisherPrice Little People Nativity Set – it has been so fun to watch Sophie’s imagination grow with these! The Advent Story books are daily snippets of the Christmas story which is great for a little one when attention is hard to come by. And, we can use the Nativity set to help her visualize what is happening in the story (and she just loves playing with it regularly throughout the day!). Although she may not fully understand every aspect of the Christmas story (see video below), we are creating traditions and sprouting seeds in the right places.
I love thinking that someday she will truly know the unconditional love of Jesus, but until then we will keep teaching, playing, and imaging!
Someday she will understand the gift that baby Jesus was and is to us and that He doesn’t belong on top of the manger :p
