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Seeking Christ at Christmastime
The world makes it easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas, but here are a few things I remember to do to seek Him.
Although I struggle to do so at times, I always wade through the commotion of the Christmas season to focus on my Savior, Jesus Christ. I try to serve others and share the message of His birth and light with everyone I can.
Among the sales and the Santas, I’m wary that if I forget my Savior, I’ll find myself devoted to the world’s traditions of Christmas. Instead, I want to focus on the one who makes up the very word—Christ. Learning of the magnitude of His birth has led to amazing spiritual experiences in my life. It’s this time of the year when I’m brought back to the center of my faith in Him because he is the reason for all that is good in my life.
Christmas is marked on many calendars as the year’s pinnacle event, and for me it is a time to reflect on the birth, life, death, and resurrection of my Redeemer.
To learn of Him and to learn from Him.
This time of year helps me deeply consider what He did for me and what He continually does for me. Quiet reflection about His acts of service, His sacrifices, and His nature, as well as reading the accounts of His birth and pondering His life, often helps me feel closer to Him.
He was attentive in His ministering to others while intent on fulfilling His divine mission. As I am reminded of His example of service at Christmastime, I feel inspired to share my hope and faith in Him during this special season with those I love most and to be attentive to the needs of everyone around me.
For example, last Christmas my family and I had plenty of Christmas food left over. I took a moment to prayerfully ponder on what we could do with all the extra food. I felt strongly that I should drive it into the city where I had seen many homeless people during my trips back and forth to university.
Loaded with two boxes full of meals, I set out to find some people who could use a meal. It wasn’t long before I found a group of homeless people who were glad to accept the Christmas dinner. I felt warmth as they shared the gratitude they had felt that day. The expression of their gratitude filled my own heart too. While I provided a meal to feed them physically, the spiritual nourishment I received from ministering to them kept me full long after that Christmas.
During our exchange, one homeless woman told me she had plenty to eat but wanted to share the offered meal with another person in need. And later, as I left the city, I drove past the same woman and watched as she placed the meal I had given her next to a sleeping homeless man and quietly walked away.
It was while attempting to be more like Christ by ministering to others that I found myself being the one ministered to. I saw the light of Christ that day. I saw Christ in my mother diligently preparing meal boxes and in the homeless woman who ministered to another when she herself didn’t have much to give.
As Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “The Christmas season is a natural and beautiful time to study His life and to strive to emulate His character and attributes. As you do, you can know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that He atoned for your sins.”1
The message of Christ’s birth brings hope and joy into my life, and I can share that message with others. I can add my light to the star that led the wise men, and I can help others find the Savior. I’ve found that the blessings of receiving gifts and feeling loved help me embrace the Savior’s example of giving. As I minister to others and witness their ministering this season, I feel truly connected to the Savior.
If we all try to look past the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season and seek to be more Christlike, I know we can feel more connected to Him in our own lives and lead others to Him as well. As I have acknowledged those who may feel unseen, listened to those who feel unheard, and served those in need—especially during this sacred time of year—I’ve come to realize that the opportunity to be more like Him is one of the greatest gifts we have received from Him.
No matter what the world may say about this holiday season, we can turn our hearts to the Savior. He is the essence of the spirit of Christmas.