It’s ironic that December is always the busiest month of the year. There are gifts to be bought, trees to be trimmed, parties to be hosted and tables to be set. It seems there’s never enough time to get it all done. What should be a joyful season of celebration becomes a stressful season full of unrealistic expectations and commercialism.

Instead of making time for reflection, we fill our December with a string of to-do items and holiday functions, rarely even taking time to rest. Isn’t that just like Satan? Robbing us of every spare minute we might have to realize the true meaning of Christmas?

Yet, every year Christmas remains a call to stop, reflect, rest and stand in awe of the One it’s all for. The world can get really still beneath the glow of tiny twinkling lights. And if we take the time to listen, we can hear His still, small voice telling us what it’s all about.

In the shadow of a steeple
In a star that lights the way
You will find Him in a manger
The heart of Christmas has a name.

He tells us to give. To laugh. To love. To remember. He calls us to marvel at the wonder that’s wrapped up in a tiny newborn lying in a manger. Son of God, Son of Man. The greatest of gifts in human flesh. For you, for me, for all the world.

Let’s make it feel the way it used to
Let’s find that wonder of a child
You can see the magic all around you
Come on, and open up your eyes.

Year after year, His message is the same: Come. Rest. Live. Love. Like a child.

This Christmas, be still. Rest in His promises. Ready yourself for the New Year. Keep the ones you love close, and cherish every moment. Allow yourself to bask in the wonder of the season and experience it all through the eyes of His child.

“And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” (Matthew 18:2-4, ESV)

Based on the song The Heart of Christmas by Matthew West. Original post by The Overflow featured on YouVersion.