The Reason for the Season — An Answer to the Problem, the Gift We Were Given, and What We’ve Done with It
December 21, 2025
The Reason for the Season — An Answer to the Problem, the Gift We Were Given, and What We’ve Done with It
This season typically has been filled with loved ones shopping for loved ones — searching for the perfect gift to make our loved one smile. Over the years, we’ve all received different kinds of gifts.
There’s the treasured gift — so special it’s never touched, only displayed. The special-occasion gift — like the fine China or glass crystal, pulled out only for when the moment feels worthy and special enough. The gift we use for a while, then forget about. The gift we re-gift. And now, increasingly common—the gift we exchange for something we think fits us better. As I reflected on this, I couldn’t help but notice how accurately this mirrors what many of us have done with the greatest gift ever given.
When the angel appeared to Mary (Luke 1:26–38), the world was dark, far darker than we experience. Oppressive taxation. Corrupt leadership. Suffering. A deep longing for hope.
Into that darkness came a gift.
Not temporary. Not symbolic.
Permanent. A Savior. A light that could not be extinguished.
The greatest gift ever!
The gift of Jesus isn’t a gift to just be treasured and admired. It isn’t only for special occasions only. It wasn’t meant to sit unopened and abandoned. And surely wasn’t a gift meant to be exchanged for something we thought would fit us better. And yet, many of us—especially those trained to rely on knowledge, performance, and excellence—have unknowingly done exactly that.
What have you done with the greatest gift of all?
Here’s an analogy that stopped me in my tracks. Imagine your phone rings. It’s the bank.
“There’s an extraordinary inheritance in your name. It’s real. It’s significant. It’s yours. But you have to come in to claim it.”
The gift doesn’t belong to the bank. The gift has already been given to YOU. The inheritance is real. The value is legitimate. But the value has no impact on your life until you choose to come in and receive it. The power of the gift value isn’t transferred until you start using it.
You weren’t called to a vocation in medicine and sent on assignment from God to seek extraordinary knowledge and expertise to then hold the weight of healing alone. Jesus didn’t come to observe your life from a distance or on occasion. He came to dwell within you, walk with you, to guide you, and to co-labor with you.
“In Me you may have peace.” (John 16:33)
“I bring you good news of great joy.” (Luke 2:10)
“Immanuel—God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)
That’s the greatest gift ever — An omniscient partner who wants to co-labor with you!
Sign me up! I want that gift! Do you?
This Christmas, my prayer is simple. Don’t keep the gift on display. Don’t reserve it for special occasions. Don’t exchange it for something that feels more manageable.
Open it. Receive it fully.
Because the greatest gift was never meant to be admired—it was meant to be lived. Hope, joy, and peace are not just wishes for this season, they are an expectation for everyday life!
And that is the real reason for the season.
May you be filled with an abundance of hope, a future of joy, and the presence of peace this season!
Merry Christmas! May your life, not just this season, be filled with love, joy, peace, and a hope that empowers you each of every day!