The True Meaning of Christmas

I, like many others, love the Christmas season. I love giving a getting gifts, snow, hot chocolate, candy canes, ice skating, and everything else that makes me think of Christmas. During the Christmas season I like to try and reflect on what the true meaning of Christmas is, and I wanted to write something about it.

We all know, even many non-Christians know, that Christmas commemorates the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. When I think of the Risen Lord, one of the first things that comes to mind is service. He lived His life serving others, He died serving others, His resurrection makes ours possible, and He lives now and still serves us. We ought to reach out to each other all of the time, but the Christmas season is the perfect excuse to do a little more, to love a little more, and to care a little more.

The prophet of our Church, President Thomas S. Monson, is a great example of a life of service. In his addresses to the Church, President Monson frequently speaks of serving others, and how his life has been blessed by serving. He would like nothing more than for all people to serve one another. A little more than a year ago President Monson was asked what gift members of the Church could give him for his birthday, and President Monson said:

Do something for someone else on that day to make his or her life better. Find someone who is having a hard time or is ill or lonely, and do something for them. That's all I would ask

I feel blessed to have the example of a Prophet of the Lord. I know serving others will help us all keep the real meaning of Christmas in our minds throughout the season.

A Change of Heart

The Gospel of Jesus Christ can do many different things for a person, but one that is most important and precious is the ability to change someone. I don't mean trivial changes; I mean really changing.

Real change is one of the most difficult things, but I know that angry people can become calm, and arrogance can make way for humility. It is not easy, but it is possible. From Ezekiel 11:19

And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh.

The Savior overcame every difficulty as part of His perfect sacrifice. He has the ability to help us change. I am by no means a perfect man, but I know that through the Gospel it is possible to overcome the desire to sin, not just the sin itself. It is hard to put this into words, but I know from personal experience that we can be changed.

One cannot earn the Savior's help or His mercy. We all rely on His sacrifice, because without it we cannot be saved. I am just a man, but I have felt this change from time to time. I try to retain it in my heart. Merry Christmas.

Abundance

This past week my wife and I were able to go to Chicago and visit both of our families for Thanksgiving. We were really happy to see and be with our families, and to see that they are doing well, despite a bump here or there. It is such a blessing and a luxury to be able to visit family. I remembered how 150 years ago, and for many even more recently, it is impossible to make a 1400 mile trip to visit family. God has blessed all of mankind with such wonderful things. I am reminded of the scripture from the Savior's words: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

I know that God blesses us with abundance. He wants us to have full lives, and He watches over us. Many people throughout the world suffer through poverty or other meager situations, but we should recall more of the Savior's words: "not as the world giveth, give I unto you." (John 14:27) Sometimes the Lord's definition of abundance may be different from our gut instincts or what the world may tell us, but I know that a life of following Christ is as a cup that runneth o'er.

Blessed And Happy State

I wanted to share this scripture I read today. It is from the Book of Mormon, and these words were spoken by a dying king to the people he loved. It is one of the last messages that he wanted to leave with them; I think that is because the words here can guide you to a happy life:

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God has spoken it."

- Mosiah 2:41

I hope to dwell with God in that never-ending state of happiness.

Jacob 7:11

"Behold, I say unto you that none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ."

The purpose of all scripture is to teach us of Christ. Reading the Book of Mormon has helped me come to understand Jesus Christ's sacrifice, as well as build a personal relationship with my Savior. The scriptures and all the prophesies from Adam to our time are meant to help us know that "God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16).

The Power of Prayer

There are a lot of big things coming up for me in life, and I have to admit I have been quite a bit worried; I have some wonderful opportunities coming to me, but for whatever reason, I have been very afraid that I will ruin them all. I'm not sure why I feel this way. I usually don't have these confidence problems.

I feel like I am over the worries that I had. I have been able to relax more and focus, and I now know that things are going to be okay. The difference for me has been the simple power of prayer. One of the greatest blessings of prayer is the closeness I feel to God when I sincerely talk about how I am feeling. I know that He is there are listening, and I have felt reassured that He will guide me through these things. I don't get these feelings because I am unique, but I know that God is our Father, and like a perfect father He wants to be involved in our lives and help us through our challenges. He doesn't make them go away, but Heavenly Father will see us through the difficulties of our lives.

God's Love

I remember when my Grandpa Karnes died. I call him Pawpaw. I was about 5 years old when Pawpaw died and I have an eidetic memory of the moment I heard: my parents had just put Jon and I in bed (we had bunk beds) and my mom got a phone call. We knew that Pawpaw had been sick, and we had actually just recently come back from visiting him in West Virginia. The thing that made me cry the most was that I had never gotten the chance to know him and I felt that I never would know him. I was just a little boy when this happened.

Fast-forward about 15 years in my life: I was a missionary on the island of São Vicente in Cape Verde. There was a rainstorm and since it doesn't rain often in Cape Verde, there was a lot of damage. The missionaries all went to help people get the water out of their houses and clean their belongings. One of the houses we worked on the most had over 6 feet of water in it from the rain. This was a one-story house, meaning they had spent most of the rainstorm outside of their house trying to get the water out. Virtually all of their possessions were destroyed. We got the water out bucket by bucket. We helped them clean their clothes and everything that wasn't totally destroyed. I worked harder that day (physically) than perhaps any other day in my life. I was sore in places I had never been sore before, so sore I couldn't even walk normally. It was a tiring day.

Somewhere in the middle of all this a Quiet Something brought the memory of Pawpaw to my mind. Pawpaw worked in a coal mine in West Virginia. He worked on a farm after he got enough money from mining to buy his daddy's land. He worked very hard every day of his professional life I imagine. I felt like working like that helped me come to know my Pawpaw a bit even though he had moved on when I was little.

Cape Verde is a third world country. I had other experiences throughout my missionary experience that I felt helped me get a glimpse of Pawpaw. He grew up in the rural United States; he would've been a teenager sometime in the 1910s. As Cape Verde taught me a more simple way of life, there was always a Gentle Influence that reminded me of my grandfather. I know that that was the Holy Ghost, sent by God to make up for a little boy's tears. I never thought to pray to God to ask Him to make this up to me, but He loves us dearly and doesn't forget. He intently watches over us and cares for us, and I testify of it in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

NOTE:
The Church decided to donate beds, bedding, some food, clothes, and some other essentials to the families that had lost the most. These were delivered later that night after things had been cleaned up.