This is Christmas Eve. It’s a special day. You can almost feel it. The sense of anticipation, the magic. The sense of knowing something is about to happen.
You can feel it in the air, see it on the faces of children as they visit Santa. You can sense it in the softly lit decorations placed in strategic places in restaurants, storefront windows, in our homes, and yes, in the images we see on line.
You can almost feel the hope, the sense that something miraculous could actually happen. That sense of a peaceful quiet that ushers in something incredibly beautiful…something more special than you’ve ever experienced before.
You can hear it in a favorite Christmas song, the words penetrating your heart and your spirit, bringing a tear to your eye as you realize you truly do believe in Christmas miracles. And you know that one is coming for either you or someone you love. You don’t know what, or how, but you believe it’s coming.
After all, it’s Christmas Eve.
Because on that very first Christmas something miraculous did indeed happen. The world received the gift of salvation, hope, and everlasting love. In the form of a tiny baby.
So take heart. And be of good cheer, as the angels said to the shepherds a little over 2,000 years ago. Because there are still Christmas miracles to come this year.
They come in many forms. A kind or loving word from a stranger to someone who’s hurting. A surprise phone call from a loved one far away. A stranger unexpectedly buying your coffee as you struggle to find your wallet at the checkout register An anonymous gift left on your doorstep, or in your mailbox, and it’s something you really needed.
Or you may be the one who causes a Christmas miracle without even realizing it. A smile to someone in a store who feels totally lost and alone. A “thank you” to someone who isn’t expecting it. Holding a door open for a young mother struggling with a baby stroller and arms full of packages. Giving a gift to a stranger from an angel tree or Christmas shoebox sent overseas.
Yes, miracles still abound, and it seems we’re more aware of them at the Christmas season than at any other time of year, because we need them more at this season than at any other time. It’s the season of love…and loneliness. The season of giving…and sadness because you think you have nothing to give. It’s the season of hope…and wondering when you’ll ever have any again.
But somewhere out there your miracle is coming. In a way you least expect and may not even recognize, even when it happens.
The magic of Christmas is also the miracle of Christmas. It’s not the gifts, or lack of gifts, under the tree. It’s how you feel in your heart, how your feelings toward others suddenly change, and how you see the world around you in a new way, even if only for a few days.
For us, the miracle of Christmas also came in the form of a baby boy. Our long-awaited grandson was born 5 weeks early on December 20. I had prayed so hard for this baby to be healthy, since our daughter had so many problems during her pregnancy. Yes, I was nervous, and I believed God would do it, but there was still that nagging voice in the back of my head “What if?” But God came through with a healthy baby boy, who was actually 6 pounds at birth, even at 5 weeks early! And mother and baby are doing fine, and we have received the best gift, five days before Christmas.
That being said, this should give all of us the incentive to totally believe in and enjoy the magic…and the miracle…of Christmas this year. And let’s share it with as many people as possible.
A smile. A kind word. A loving gesture. A handwritten note to say “I love you.” A prayer for those who are hurting, and there are far too many of those this year. And a prayer of thanks for all of the miracles we have received this year.
The miracle of Christmas is within each of us, if we only let it come forth.
It’s Christmas Eve. And it’s time…..