…and they will call him Immanuel” which means “God with us”. Matthew 1:23b

 

One of the common traits of great men and women of faith is that they learned the secret of believing truth. Regardless of the degree of suffering they faced, they held firm to the truth that God created in them the ability to choose. You and I have the same God-given gift. Our circumstances may define the terrain we travel but they don’t have to define us. Our situation may rob us of possessions, relationships and even health, but they are powerless and clueless thieves when it comes to stealing the gift God gave us to choose. That is ours alone to keep or surrender.

 

We can choose to believe that we are all alone or that God is indeed with us. Left alone we see depression, anxiety, fear, apathy, bitterness and anger. God with us sees hope, peace, confidence, compassion. Left alone our thoughts are scattered, unfocused, and confused; we tend to dwell in the negative. God with us allows us to choose to focus on Him exclusively, to dwell in His presence, a bit of heaven on earth. We see goodness and hope when we let His light shine into the dark corners of our lives.

 

Whenever our minds turn toward negative thinking, toward resentment, bitterness, anger, or any other lying way, we can choose to immediately turn to “whatever is true, noble, and right.” The more you practice using your God-given gift of choice, the more adept you become at choosing well.

 

We can choose to get caught up in the revelry of the Xmas traditions or we can choose to ponder the wonder that is the real CHRISTmas. Accept the gift of choosing CHRISTmas.

 

Choose Immanuel, God with us. Choose CHRISTmas…every day.