Henry & Richard Blackaby
This year, most of my meditations were about relationships. I started the year meditating about Mama Mary and Papa Joseph. Then I continued the year covering almost all members of the family. And the last meditation I did about relationships was about friendship. But I noticed that I never mentioned my best friend. Even though I have many friends, there is one that has been by my side my entire life. We have a very close relationship. I have lots of journals filled with letters to him. He is my greatest confidante. I can talk to him about anything and he is always ready to listen. What I like the most about him is that he never gives me unsolicited advice. He never criticizes me. He just listens without condemning me or making me feel unworthy. He is my best friend in the whole world and I would like to introduce him to all of you. His name is Jesus.
My friend Jesus is about to celebrate another birthday. He was born 2016 years ago in a little town called Bethlehem. His birth was humble, peaceful, quiet and oh so very joyful. He was born on a beautiful night. Yet, most of the world didn't even know what was happening inside the little stable where he was being born. The night would have gone unnoticed, except that God had other plans. The simple shepherds that were out tending to their sheep, woke up startled and stared into the face of an angel.
Somewhere along the journey, we turned his birthday celebration into total chaos. Jesus would like for his birthday celebration to be just like his birth was, peaceful and ordinary. But we humans love to complicate our lives and we have turned his birth into holiday madness. His birthday has become extravagant, noisy, chaotic and stressful. Somewhere along the way, we forgot the true meaning of his birth. The reason why he came.
Through the years, he has received many gifts: great architectural monuments have been built all over the world to worship him; artists have created amazing masterpieces to honor him; musicians have written the most glorious music to praise him. And yet, he is just as happy with a simple, humble gift, as long as it comes from the heart. And what makes him the happiest, is the gift of our time. He loves to spend time with his friends.
Last week, I was able to give him that gift because I spent a weekend at an Emmaus retreat. I think every year, I should force myself to attend an Advent retreat so I can focus on him, instead of all the other unimportant things that I crowd my life with. Even though I spent a lot of time sitting down with him, I wrote very little, which is very strange for me. Of course, it didn't help that I forgot my journal at home, but that was not the main reason. After all, a pen and a piece of paper is all I need to write and I had plenty of those. But I just had this huge need to just sit with him and allow him to fill me completely. I slept just seven hours the entire weekend. Every bone and muscle that I didn't even know I had was hurting me. But spiritually, I was so full. It was truly an oasis in the midst of the holiday madness.
The greatest thing about my friend Jesus is that for his birthday, instead of expecting gifts from us, he wants to give us a gift. He is our gift. God gave him to us, 2016 years ago, and he is still present with us today. He is our everlasting present. He is the only gift that we are guaranteed. We may receive many gifts for his birthday, but none of them will last forever. The only gift that will be eternal is the gift of Jesus. He came to bring us life, and our life, with Jesus as our friend, can only be peaceful. He came to bring us joy, and our joy, with Jesus as our friend, is everlasting. He came to bring us love, and our love, with Jesus as our friend, can only be pure. But in order for these gifts to last, we must keep our eyes focused on him. And we must trust him. He is always with us and everything will work out.
Jesus wants us to share his gift. He doesn't want us to keep him only to ourselves. He wants us to introduce him to others. He wants to knock at everyone's hearts, hoping that everyone has room inside their inn for him. He wants to have a relationship with each one of us that is not exclusive because he has room in his heart for all of us. Of course, when we introduce Jesus to others, we cannot force others to accept him as their friend. Everyone has a choice. Jesus is ready to embrace everyone and give them the reward of his friendship, but unfortunately, not everyone is ready to embrace him.
Jesus already has many friends in the world and he loves each one dearly. Even those friends that have abandoned him, he still loves them and always waits for them to return. His heart always has room for more friendships. His love for his friends knows no boundaries.
Jesus is my best friend because he is intimately acquainted with all my ways. I cannot hide anything from him because even if I don't share it, he knows. I can place all my darkest secrets at his feet. He knows my hidden motives, my deepest shame and my stormy thoughts. And he still hugs me. No matter what I do, he still loves me. He sends me flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever I need to talk, he listens. He can live anywhere in the world, and yet, he chose my heart.
And I want to introduce him to you because he is crazy about you too. He thinks you are the best thing that has ever happened to him. I am sure, that if you give him a picture of you, he will attach it with a magnet to his heavenly refrigerator. Make room in your heart for him and he will fill your life with hope, purpose, light and peace. Open your heart to him because he is choosing your heart as his manger. He wants to be born within you.
My Jesus is everything to me!!! Allow him to be everything to you!!!
Somewhere along the journey, we turned his birthday celebration into total chaos. Jesus would like for his birthday celebration to be just like his birth was, peaceful and ordinary. But we humans love to complicate our lives and we have turned his birth into holiday madness. His birthday has become extravagant, noisy, chaotic and stressful. Somewhere along the way, we forgot the true meaning of his birth. The reason why he came.
Through the years, he has received many gifts: great architectural monuments have been built all over the world to worship him; artists have created amazing masterpieces to honor him; musicians have written the most glorious music to praise him. And yet, he is just as happy with a simple, humble gift, as long as it comes from the heart. And what makes him the happiest, is the gift of our time. He loves to spend time with his friends.
Last week, I was able to give him that gift because I spent a weekend at an Emmaus retreat. I think every year, I should force myself to attend an Advent retreat so I can focus on him, instead of all the other unimportant things that I crowd my life with. Even though I spent a lot of time sitting down with him, I wrote very little, which is very strange for me. Of course, it didn't help that I forgot my journal at home, but that was not the main reason. After all, a pen and a piece of paper is all I need to write and I had plenty of those. But I just had this huge need to just sit with him and allow him to fill me completely. I slept just seven hours the entire weekend. Every bone and muscle that I didn't even know I had was hurting me. But spiritually, I was so full. It was truly an oasis in the midst of the holiday madness.
The greatest thing about my friend Jesus is that for his birthday, instead of expecting gifts from us, he wants to give us a gift. He is our gift. God gave him to us, 2016 years ago, and he is still present with us today. He is our everlasting present. He is the only gift that we are guaranteed. We may receive many gifts for his birthday, but none of them will last forever. The only gift that will be eternal is the gift of Jesus. He came to bring us life, and our life, with Jesus as our friend, can only be peaceful. He came to bring us joy, and our joy, with Jesus as our friend, is everlasting. He came to bring us love, and our love, with Jesus as our friend, can only be pure. But in order for these gifts to last, we must keep our eyes focused on him. And we must trust him. He is always with us and everything will work out.
Jesus wants us to share his gift. He doesn't want us to keep him only to ourselves. He wants us to introduce him to others. He wants to knock at everyone's hearts, hoping that everyone has room inside their inn for him. He wants to have a relationship with each one of us that is not exclusive because he has room in his heart for all of us. Of course, when we introduce Jesus to others, we cannot force others to accept him as their friend. Everyone has a choice. Jesus is ready to embrace everyone and give them the reward of his friendship, but unfortunately, not everyone is ready to embrace him.
Jesus already has many friends in the world and he loves each one dearly. Even those friends that have abandoned him, he still loves them and always waits for them to return. His heart always has room for more friendships. His love for his friends knows no boundaries.
Jesus is my best friend because he is intimately acquainted with all my ways. I cannot hide anything from him because even if I don't share it, he knows. I can place all my darkest secrets at his feet. He knows my hidden motives, my deepest shame and my stormy thoughts. And he still hugs me. No matter what I do, he still loves me. He sends me flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever I need to talk, he listens. He can live anywhere in the world, and yet, he chose my heart.
And I want to introduce him to you because he is crazy about you too. He thinks you are the best thing that has ever happened to him. I am sure, that if you give him a picture of you, he will attach it with a magnet to his heavenly refrigerator. Make room in your heart for him and he will fill your life with hope, purpose, light and peace. Open your heart to him because he is choosing your heart as his manger. He wants to be born within you.
My Jesus is everything to me!!! Allow him to be everything to you!!!
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