The Christmas story is full of interesting characters, exciting encounters, dramatic tension, and supernatural wonders. Nestled in the midst of this wonderful and familiar story is a little promise that we cling to two thousand years later.
When the angel Gabriel appeared to announce the Virgin Mary’s upcoming pregnancy, Mary’s first response was to ask how this could be. She found some reassurance in Gabriel’s response. He told her that the Holy Spirit would overshadow and empower her, and added that her elderly cousin Elizabeth was also expecting a child.
The angel’s message ended with “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37)
I’m sure Mary paid attention to the part about the Holy Spirit, but the part about Elizabeth really caught her attention. Luke tells us that as soon as the angel left her, she ran to Elizabeth’s house. Within the year she found that everything the angel told her was true.
This story is similar to my life story. Perhaps you can relate.
The interesting characters in my story would include loving parents, manipulative friends, users and abusers, and godly mentors. Like Mary, I have found myself running to others in times of joy, and sometimes clinging to others for comfort or for acceptance.
My story includes some exciting encounters which were good but also some that were not. Some seemed to be exciting at the time but left an emptiness at the end of the day.
The fact that there was dramatic tension probably goes without saying. The greatest tension was inside my heart. I was torn between two overwhelming desires: the desire to serve Christ and the desire to feel accepted.
Just like in the Christmas story, the supernatural wonders are the best part of my story. Some of the ones recorded in the Gospel of Luke include angels appearing to shepherds, a pregnant virgin, and a star guiding the Wise Men.
Those wonders impacted my life too, because they accompanied the birth of my Savior. However, my Savior is still alive and still working miracles.
Let me tell you some of the supernatural wonders that He has done in my life. I have experienced the miracle of new birth. I was dead in my sin, but Jesus Christ raised me into a new life by His grace. I was a lonely, confused, and misguided man. Jesus Christ made me a child of God; I belong to His family and understand how I fit into His plan. I know how to be a loving husband and father.
I was full of pride, lust, and selfishness. My world now centers around His purpose for me. The only thing I can boast about is that I know Him. My desires have been transformed into a desire to know Him more.
Fifteen or twenty years ago, I thought there was no hope for me. I thought I would always live with discontent and that one day, I would die and the pain would be over. I knew that Jesus had given a promise
of abundant life, but I didn’t see how it could possibly apply to me. I was too messed up. I was too far gone. I would keep wearing the mask pretending that everything was ok, when I was dying on the inside.
God always keeps His promises. With God nothing shall be impossible. Maybe the holidays are difficult for you because you feel, as I did, that there is no hope. Please believe me when I tell you that God can turn your life around. You don’t have to go to your grave with heaviness and guilt.
Jesus said, “Anyone who comes to me, I will not turn away.” Your story can have a happy ending.
