The Nazis stripped Victor Frankl’s life down to almost nothing. Once a renowned psychiatrist, Frankl was reduced to being a slave labourer at the notorious death camp Auschwitz. He could have seethed with hate and self-pity but, instead, Frankl realized that the Nazis could never steal, shape, or dictate his attitude.
“Buckle up and keep your hands inside the vehicle at all times.” Anyone who’s ever ridden a roller coaster has heard instructions like these. Well, buckle up and keep your hands inside the vehicle at all times, because you’re about to go on the wildest ride of your life. This ride will involve time travel, taking you all the way past human history, the creation of Adam and Eve, and the beginning of the universe. This ride—this journey—will transport you to eternity past, to a time before time began. Are you ready?
The qualities that babies bring into the world never get old. The soft, delicate skin. The beautiful calm of sleep. The tiny hands and feet so perfectly formed. When a baby comes into our lives as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, or sisters, we rejoice in the magnificence of God’s gift of life. But how much more did the family rejoice in wonderment when the child was Emmanuel, God with us? When God took on human flesh at the birth of Jesus, He brought a wonder to the world that had yet to be seen.
Thinking deeply at Christmas can be difficult. Why? Shopping for presents, family get-togethers, and holiday parties sometimes crowd out the real meaning behind the trees and tinsel.
Probing Deeper into the Incarnation will remind you that before Mary placed baby Jesus in the manger, He existed in heaven with God the Father and God the Spirit. The Son of God became a man and gave up His own life out of His love for you—and to make it possible for you to love Him in return.
We never seem to tire of the Christmas story. It’s always fresh, always inspiring, and always life-changing.
Inventor Thomas Edison refused to be bitter, even when fire destroyed his life’s work. His response to disaster boils down to one word— attitude. Having the right attitude makes all the difference in the world.
It’s a waste of energy to fight the inevitables of life. The attitudes you fill your mind with will shape how you respond to life, so choose godly attitudes like joy, humility, encouragement, forgiveness, and love.
Far from being harmless, grumbling poisons not only our minds but influences those around us. And being a joy-stealer is something that none of us have a right to be.
Do you have an unpleasant outlook on life? If so, are you aware it’s defiling the air around you? If you’re living like this, you’re hard to live with. It’s never too late to change your ways—to be sweet instead of sour.
This Christmas, it will be our attitude that unwraps our joy—an attitude of unselfishness. My encouragement to you is that you not put it off until it is a little more convenient. Many will tell you that people will take advantage of you if you begin to live unselfishly or if you don’t defend your rights and “get even.” I offer the opposite counsel: God will honour your decision to demonstrate an attitude of humility. You will find that feelings of hate will be replaced with a relieving flood of peace and happiness. When we acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord and begin to release our cares, our disappointments, and our heartaches to Him, we not only keep our equilibrium, we also keep our sense of humour. Joys multiply when we have Someone to bear our burdens.
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