Wonder. Awe. Excitement. Anticipation. Hope. Joy. Expectation. Love. Peace. These are all words that should capture our feeling and thoughts about the Christmas season. However, for many people it is words like stress, busyness, rushing, money, demands, loneliness, depression, and dissatisfaction that characterize the season.

Even though I know why this is, it’s sometimes hard to understand. We are pulled in so many directions with so much that is expected of us, that the clamor drowns out the message we really need to hear. The story we’ve heard and sung about so many times fades into the background as just another piece of a crowded pie. Even though we get all those “things” done, we’re never really ready to celebrate.

Stop and think about it: Christmas is the story of God’s love made real in the form of a baby who would open wide the gates of heaven. It is the coming of Emmanuel – God with us. A young woman who has submitted her life to the will of God becomes pregnant, having never been with a man, and gives birth to the Savior who is Christ the Lord.

Much like the Israelites in the Bible, we too spend a lot of our lives waiting for something exciting. We might not consciously acknowledge that, but we are. There is a deep desire in us to experience something wonderful, unique, and awesome; something that is bigger than us. We’re much like the little boy in the movie, The Incredibles, who is waiting for something exciting, but missing what is right in front of him because he isn’t able to clearly see or understand. Many people are like that, including us sometimes. Our eyes become clouded, and our minds comfortable with the familiar that we miss the excitement and wonder of the fact that God became man, making himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, and being made in human likeness (Phil. 2:7).

In the hustle and bustle, we let the activities steal away our focus. The thing is this, the activities like decorating, cooking, gift giving, time with friends and family, etc. are not bad. But when they drive the season, we miss out on something that cannot be explained away and should not be missed: the birth of the Christ who took away the sins of the world.

What are you feeling this season? Maybe this is your first Christmas as a Christ-follower, or one of many. Maybe you’ve never believed in Christ as your Savior and Lord, but you know that there’s got to be something more than Santa and Rudolph. Are you living in excitement, anticipation, and hope of the celebration? Or do you feel burdened, overwhelmed, and can’t wait for January to get here?

No matter where you are and what you are feeling, remember that this is when we celebrate the birth of the Christ child – the one who has come to bring peace with God to men and women, to take our burdens from us, and to give us new and abundant life no matter what situation we find ourselves in.

This year, let the wonder of Christ’s coming bring meaning to the activities you do, instead of letting the activities drive our perspective of the season. Don’t wait for that special moment or the completion of the list to determine your readiness, but take advantage of every opportunity to celebrate the coming of Jesus.

Are you ready?