Merry Christmas to you all! May this Christmas
bring you love, joy, peace, and happiness as you remember and celebrate the
birth of our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ.
I am grateful for the words of our dear Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson spoken during his Christmas Devotional talk given in December of 2011. He said, “There is no better time than now, this very Christmas season, for all of us to
rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus Christ. He continued “Christmas is what we make of it. Despite all the distractions, we can see to it that Christ is at the center of our celebration. If we have not already done so, we can establish Christmas traditions for ourselves and for our families which will help us capture and keep the spirit of Christ.”
As I reflect on our Prophets words I wonder if my own efforts to ensure “Christ is at the Center” are sufficient. Am I keeping Him in every thought? Are my motivations and desires pure at this time? Am I serving and being charitable as He would be, and as He would invite me to be? My hope is that my efforts are sufficient, and my gratitude, for Him, is proven by my actions and the way that I choose to serve and spend my time.
I want to share an experience that I had a few weeks ago which has caused me to question my desires and priorities during the Christmas season. My sweet wife Alisha loves Christmas music and last year I finally caught the Christmas music bug. I now love Christmas Music, it has been playing it in our home since the beginning of November and I can’t get enough of “The little Drummer Boy”. For the record, our Christmas tree was up a week and a half before Thanksgiving, yes... we are “those” people. Christmas music has set a wonderful tone in my heart and mind early this year which allowed me to have this experience.
It happened on a Saturday afternoon with my daughter Savannah. She wanted to go to the University Mall in Orem “to play at the big dinosaur. Dad has learned that when little girl wants “to play at the big dinosaur”, that is exactly what little girl will do. Savannah always has so much fun playing and interacting with the other kids, and there is nothing that I would rather be doing than watching her and seeing her happy. On this particular occasion she brought a couple of her favorite toys with her. When we arrived I sat down on a bench and the toys sat next to me, forgotten, while she was off making new friends. Savannah is not shy and will usually find new friends within a few short minutes, as was the case
on this particular Saturday, and she was off having a great time playing and laughing with a couple of girls in no time. It made me so happy and grateful to watch Savannah play and having such a great time.
After about 10 minutes of playing with the girls and having a blast, Savannah came over, picked up her toys, and began to play with them all by herself. I wouldn't have thought much of it but as she continued playing with the toys and not her new friends I began to wonder, why? Why would Savannah leave the company of new and fun friends to go play with her toys? Why are her toys so important to her when all they are is plastic stuff? That’s when the spirit touched me… STUFF.
Brothers and Sisters, how often in our lives do we miss out on, leave behind, walk away from, what could be meaningful, lasting, love filled, glorious moments because we are focused on STUFF? What STUFF in your personal life are you choosing to hold onto that is keeping you from greater things? Is your STUFF taking up so much room in your heart and mind that there is little room for Him? I haven’t stopped thinking about it since…. STUFF.
Brothers and Sisters, I invite you to discover your STUFF…. If you already know what your STUFF is than I invite you to set it down and leave it behind for Him. As you do, I promise you from experience that you can leave your STUFF behind, and that you will not miss your STUFF. The joy and peace that Jesus Christ will add to your life will be the greatest gift you have ever received, and this Christmas season will bring with it the Saviors love for you and a new determination to serve your brothers and sisters around you.
Let us all be determined to find the STUFF in our lives that keeps us from Him during the “hustle and bustle” that the busyness of the Holidays can bring, and show Him our love and gratitude for Him by doing as He has asked by reaching out and serving our Brothers and Sisters around us. As we do this, I know that He will bless us and provide for
our families both spiritually and temporally.
I began with the words of our Prophet and I would like to close with them as well.
“Because He came to earth, we have a perfect example to follow. As we strive to become
more like Him, we will have joy and happiness in our lives and peace each day
of the year. It is His example, which if followed, stirs within us more
kindness and love, more respect and concern for others.
Because He came, there is meaning to our mortal existence.
Because He came, we know how to reach out to those in trouble or in distress, wherever they may be.
Because He came, death has lost its sting, the grave its victory. We will live again because He came.
Because He came and paid for our sins, we have the opportunity to gain eternal life.
Because He came, we are gathered tonight to worship Him in bonds of brotherhood and love.
May His precious Spirit be with us, and may He ever be the center of our celebrations and indeed of our very lives.”
He Lives! Merry Christmas to you all! Sure Love Ya!
Michael Gregson
I’ve been thinking about this idea of priorities and focus a lot! This reminded me of part of a talk that I listened to this morning, from Elder Christofferson’s April 2014 conference address, that really struck me. Speaking of the Savior’s Atonement and our reliance upon Him for His love, mercy and justice: “…we are all accountable to Him for our lives, our choices, and our actions, even our thoughts. Because He redeemed us from the Fall, our lives are in reality His.” It's a humbling reminder. What we make of our lives, our use of our time, talents and focus are the gift we give back to the Savior and ultimately bring us to fulfilling the potential and purpose of our lives. STUFF so often gets in the way. Truly, this life, this day, this moment - each moment - gives us the chance to choose what gifts and offerings we are giving. And if we give the best kind of gifts, just doing the best we can, naturally, spiritual gravity will lead us to blessing the lives of those around us, as the Savior’s work always does. He loves us for any amount of gift we give. Thanks for sharing this! Great insights.
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