Merry Christmas!

I really love this time of year! I love all the excitement of Christmas--the decorations, the treats, Christmas songs, Santa, and presents. My favorite thing about Christmas though is that it gives me a chance, when I really try, to think about my relationship with my Savior. Yesterday in church, our stake president, who is a member of our ward, talked about one of my favorite verses of song--the third verse of "O Little Town of Bethlehem."

The song says:

How silently, how silently, the wonderous gift is given
While God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his Heaven.
No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in.

I love this verse because it causes me to think about how meek my soul is and whether or not I'm ready to receive Christ. It also reminds me, in the clamour and hustle and bustle of this holiday season, to slow down a bit because this gift comes silently. Yesterday, when President Smith was talking about this very thing, he talked about how all the inns in Bethlehem were full. I thought about how often my mind and life are full of so many things that I often do not let the Christ child into my life either. It is my prayer that in this week that I can be meek and open my heart and mind to receive this precious gift--the life and sacrifice of my Savior Jesus Christ. I don't think I have any idea of all that he's done for me. I do know that his life has eternal consequences on mine and hope that I can not only open my heart to receive him but teach my children to do the same.

I hope that you'll have a very Merry Christmas and will feel of the peace that comes when we truly let Christ into our lives.

To view our Christmas greeting, click here:

Our 2008 Monday Family Christmas Greeting