What God Wants For Christmas

My husband recently asked me what I wanted for Christmas. It's that time of year when Ben begins to panic..."What in the world do I get her?" Each year, I tell him the same thing. I want a pony. A real live four-legged, living, breathing and moving horse. I need to share all those adjectives with him because last year I received a 12-pack of mini-stuffed Ty pony animals that ended up being dog toys. If only he would listen....:)

Christmas brings dilemmas to even the best gift buyer. the questions that roll in our mind this time of year... What do I buy for so and so? How much should I spend? Where and when will I go shopping? It's those type of questions that can bring us plenty of angst at this time of year. Of course, we can't forget the proverbial question we ask each other about this time of December... Do you have all your shopping done? With all the stress that comes with even THINKING about shopping, I can easily forget the true meaning of Christmas.

Just recently, I heard the song "What God Wants for Christmas" by Darius Rucker. The song goes like this "I wonder what God wants for Christmas...Something that you can't find in a store. Maybe peace on earth, no more empty seats in church...might be what's on His wish list. I wonder what God wants for Christmas... What do you give someone who gave His Only Son? What if we believe in Him like He believes in us?"

I don't know about you, but honestly, I haven't thought recently about what God might want from me this Christmas. Have you? I can get so busy with being busy! Just this weekend, we're preparing for an upcoming big party. Between other parties, preparations, buying gifts and traveling, we sometimes don't consider that God might want something from us. As I think and pray about it, I think He wants me to be more attentive to His moment by moment presence in my life. He wants me to remember the joy of His birth so many years ago and live with that joy. He wants me to show and share His love with others this Christmas...and always.

What does God want from you this Christmas? If you do everything you can to avoid God, maybe He would like for you to move one step closer to Him. If you've kept God at a distance because life didn't turn out the way you wanted, maybe now is the time to reconsider God. Perhaps, you've put God aside just because you're not into religion. God is not about religion, but a relationship with you. He loves you more than anyone on this earth ever could love you! Maybe you love God, but just got caught up in the busyness of the season. Now's the time to make Him a priority. Read and ponder the Christmas story. Use an Advent calendar with your family. Take time to pray and thank God for sending His Son to this earth. Recommit to make time for this most important relationship. Jesus. The reason we have a Christmas.

What do you give someone who gave His only Son? What if we believe in Him like He believes in us? The answer is in the song. What does God want from you this Christmas?

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.