I was 10 years old and walking down a church aisle in a small town in Pennsylvania when I made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior. Dressed in a white robe and halo, I was playing the part of an angel walking the Heavenly streets of gold at the end of my church’s annual Easter Passion Play. The play depicted the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection and ended with a snapshot of eternity, sharing the opportunity for those attending to ask Jesus to be their Savior. That night the opportunity didn’t just extend to those in the audience, it extended to me too.
I had been told that as a little girl I made the decision to follow Jesus, but I could never quite remember that decision for myself. So that Spring night, dressed in angel robes, I asked Jesus into my heart and discovered a sense of home I had never experienced before.
You see, what I’m discovering is that no matter what happens around me—what people say or don’t say, if I’m defined as successful or not successful, if I have friends swarming around me or find myself alone, if everything’s working out or it feels as if everything is crumbling around me—my story is headed somewhere and I’m going to be ok because I know who I am and Whose I am.
That’s it.
I know who I am and Whose I am.
I’ve heard it said that a baby changes everything. And that Spring night a baby born in a manger changed everything for me. Now, rather than fighting to make everything happen, I’m trusting the One who created me to become who He made me to be in the first place. Now, rather than trying so hard, I’m embracing simply being. I’ve found a resting place in my Savior, true joy, and a peace I can’t always explain but I know it’s there because it’s from Him.
On Christmas Day, a baby changed everything. Jesus wasn’t born in a fancy hospital room surrounded by the best doctors and support staff. He was born in a stinky, dirty barn surrounded by animals and placed in a feeding trough to rest. His external surroundings weren’t perfect or beautiful or magnificent. But He came. And He saved us, changing everything.
On this Christmas Day, I’m so very thankful for a Savior who was born in unlikely, not super awesome external conditions because His presence and hope reminds me that no matter what I face, it’s not where I am that matters. It’s WHOSE I am. And because I’ve discovered my home in Jesus by making Him my Savior, I’m a daughter of the King. And if you’ve made that decision, you are too!
If you haven’t made the decision to accept Jesus as your Savior, I want to personally extend that invitation to you today—just like it was extended to me on that Easter play night years ago. Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” That’s it! It’s simple! Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth with a simple prayer like this: Jesus, thank you for coming to the world as a baby born in a manger and dying on a cross for me. Thank you for coming back to life and the incredible hope you offer! I want that! Today, I’m inviting you to be my Lord and Savior. I want to discover and experience home in You. I love you! Amen. If you prayed that prayer and invited Jesus to be your Savior today, I want to be the first to congratulate you! Send me an email here!
We can experience home wherever we are because we have hope in Jesus! May you have an incredible Christmas with friends and family celebrating the birth of a baby who changed everything!
