Christmas was about me…or so I thought

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3 ESV)

Christmas is always a fantastic time of the year for me. From my earliest age, I remember how my parents decorated the house and the early traditions we had of getting up before dawn to open presents. As a child, I couldn’t wait to get a bunch of gifts. I wanted to rush through the early morning reading of Luke 2 so I could get to my presents. I couldn’t wait to go over to the grandparents, so I could get more presents. Christmas was about me…or so I thought.

Notice I wasn’t ignorant of the true story of Christmas; it just had not sunk in yet. I loved the Christmas story and acting in Christmas pageants. But I looked at the season from a selfish angle. I want more stuff. Give me, give me, give me.

 If you spend any time with young children, that is the most common refrain: “give me, give me, give me.” We all have a root of selfishness deep from within our heart. This deep root that grabs ahold of our heart is sin. It’s the desire to be our own god and to have everyone worship us. It is about bending the rules to benefit me. It is a subtle, strong and pervasive problem.

That problem impacts so many other areas of our lives. What I didn’t realize was my desire for more gifts was masking the true desire or my soul. My intent behind “give me, give me, give me,” was for toys, clothes and food, but God knew better than I did.

That first Christmas, God heard our cries of “give me, give me, give me,” and He answered with the ultimate gift of His Son: Jesus Christ. In Jesus, He gave hope, forgiveness and love. He gave meaning and purpose to life. In Christ, He gave the answer to sin and selfishness. He didn’t just command selflessness, He demonstrated it.

In Philippians 2:5-8 we read about the incarnation, the birth of Christ and the great extent Jesus went to in order that we might have a way back to God and to overcome our selfishness. Even though Jesus was God, He did not feel entitled to leverage that, but He entered human existence as a baby. Totally vulnerable and dependent on earthly parents, as we all enter this world. He didn’t take advantage of His divine attributes, but showed us how to live dependent on the Holy Spirit. He humbled Himself as a servant and was willing to die for our sins on the cross.

This is the gift of Christmas. This is the answer to my heart’s cry.

Therefore, my response ought not be, “give me, give me, give me,” if I mean more stuff, more presents, and more food. But it should be “give me more of Jesus, give Jesus praise and honor, give glory to God in the Highest!” For God has highly exalted the name of Jesus because of His willingness to humble Himself.

I thought Christmas was about me until I clearly saw Christ. What is your focus this Christmas?