In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:3

I’m studying a gift from last Christmas that has become a beacon of light for me this Advent season—a lighted globe showing Mary, Joseph, and the newborn baby etched in deep relief. This beautiful piece was created by our son-in-law, a product of his 3-D printer. I knew Steve had been quite busy last fall creating lovely gifts for family and friends, but this one blew me away.

 It sits on our mantle in the darkest corner of our living room, and it’s lit from the time I get up in the morning until I’m ready for bed at night. Its light fills the room with a constant reminder that Jesus is the Light in our world. During this Advent season, our lovely globe is keeping me focused. I find myself gazing toward it often, that image keeping my thoughts on Him and working toward being more like Him. While many are trying to turn Christmas into a completely secular holiday and, unfortunately, are achieving a great measure of success, it becomes even more vital to keep the story of Jesus alive and share it with others.

When I’m in conversation with people at church or run into them elsewhere, they often comment that it must be hard to come up with topics week after week for these writings. I can only reply that I don’t come up with them. Jesus does the talking. I just try to hear him clearly. In the beginning, that was difficult because I had not yet learned to trust him enough to be assured that if he wanted me to say something—he would provide the foundation—and then give me room to flesh out the idea. And if I have a question, he always has an answer, but he will likely make me search for it. It’s in the searching that I learn and grow closer to him. God has been using imperfect people like me throughout human history to spread the Word that Jesus would come—that he wanted to be our constant companion and save us from ourselves.

Christmas decorations reminding us of Jesus’ birth come and go quickly. Before long, we’ll be entering Lent and those weeks of introspection that lead us to the cross. During Advent and during the Lenten season, we concentrate more fully on what it means to follow Jesus. Of course, we must treasure those two events that mark the beginning and end of Jesus’ life on earth; they offer us hope and grace.

But it’s the in-between days that have the lasting impact on who we are and who we will become. The days when our struggles and disappointments seem overwhelming, the days when we’re dog tired from working so many hours to keep food on the table and clothes on our kids. The days when nothing seems to go right and all our friends seem to have abandoned us. The days when we feel like giving up. Those are the days that make us or break us, when we need a friend the most—Jesus is that friend.

When he was here among us, he visited friends, preached to crowds, mourned losses, and celebrated marriages. He walked, he spoke, he cried, and he laughed. He left us a legacy we don’t begin to deserve….but he left it anyway. He showed us, by his example, how to live. And He longs for us to talk to Him, confide our secrets in Him. He’ll never abandon us. He’ll always listen. We can have no better friend.

That globe that I treasure is a tangible picture of a scene that happened over two thousand years ago and was made possible by technological advances that I can’t begin to understand. How can a 3D printer, a computer, and a roll of plastic cord create such a wondrous thing? But then again, how could Jesus come to live among us, making such a wondrous sacrifice for the likes of us? Because He loves us!

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows through it. Proverbs 4:23 NLT

The message of the manger is as vital today as it was on that ancient night when it occurred. He came so that we might live forever! We must carry Him in our hearts every day, just like we do on Christmas; fill ourselves so full of Him that it overflows onto everyone we meet!

… you must let him penetrate your heart. Deep, deep inside. Internalize him. Inject him. Welcome him into the inner workings of your life. Let Christ be the [focus] of your soul. Max Lucado, Come Thirsty (Paraphrased)