Pam Dudding-Burch
Contributing writer
Many people walk through the doors of their church on Christmas Sunday. Handshakes, hugs, kisses and joyful hearts usually come in abundance after that. Countless exchanged packages and shared family dinners also happen during this time of the year.
Yet, sometimes do we have to ask, “but where is Jesus?” Was he confined to the church sanctuary or the church service? Was he confined to the picture of the stable as a baby on the living room wall? Was he confined to an ornament hanging on your tree? Was he confined to the closed Bible that lay in the house…somewhere?
Confined is defined as a space restricted in area or volume that’s cramped, constricted or limited. Just how confined has Jesus been made?
Do children today know about little baby Jesus? And even more so, do they know about Jesus the Savior that went to the cross for the sins of the world? Is he cramped in a box so tight, only to be brought out once a year? Is he confined to being only a subject in our minds instead of the Savior of our lives?
Christmas is the time of the year to take the shackles of confinement off! It is the time of year to reflect on one’s life and to grab hold of what many call the magic of Christmas! Christmas should be both an exciting and reflecting time.
For many Christians, it is a time to celebrate the birthday of the one and only person who gave them the gift of life after they’ve sinned in the world.
There are some individuals who have no idea who Jesus Christ is. They simply have not experienced that life, that Abundant Life that many Christians have talked about.
Maybe they have been told that once someone becomes a Christian, everything is great from that point on. That’s simply not the case. In fact, many don’t even see a change in their lifetime.
Still, there are many people who have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. As a result, they have confined him to only another biography of a person’s life.
There’s a saying, “to each his own.” Most of the time confinement is a choice. We understand that there are exceptions in life to where people are kept bound and confined physically, mentally and sometimes emotionally. That is a sad place for any person to be.
This Christmas, step out of any confinement you see yourself in. There is life in the world, and the Bible promises that if you seek it, you will find it.
Confinement is a situation where one feeds it on a daily basis to the extent it becomes a reality in one’s life. Jesus Christ is the one who wants to feed people new Life, one that’s everlasting according to the Bible.
Where will you set your fence of confinement this Christmas season? Or will you open the gate to a new place of freedom?
No one wants to be cramped, put in a small space, compacted, limited, restricted or tightly confined.
May this Christmas season be one where you reflect on any confinements that may be restricting you. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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