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It doesn't take long after Christmas comes to an end for us to put away our presents, pack away our decorations, throw away the shreds of wrapping paper, and move on to the next thing. But what if part of the reason we feel let down when Christmas comes to an end is because we rush right past it? Maybe if we learn to hold on to the meaning of Christmas we won't feel so disappointed.

It's been four days since Christmas. And if you're like most people, you've already started getting back to normal. Some of the decorations have come down. The wrapping paper is in the trash. The leftovers are almost gone. And mentally, you're already moving on to the next thing.

following Jesus, not just nodding to him once a year, is what we were created for. So don't pack Jesus away with the Christmas decorations. Don't treat him like something special for the season but not really relevant to your everyday life.

On Christmas morning, we receive gifts. We unwrap them. We thank the people who gave them to us. And if we're wise, we appreciate what we've been given instead of complaining about what we didn't get. But God has given us the greatest gift imaginable. He's given us himself.

Maybe we thought we needed the perfect Christmas, but what we actually needed was to learn that God's presence matters more than perfect circumstances. Maybe we thought we needed impressive decorations and expensive gifts, but what we actually needed was to remember that the simple truth of God becoming human is more valuable than anything

Real power isn't about dominating others. It's not about forcing people to do what you want. It's not about building yourself up by tearing others down. Real power is the power to change hearts. The power to transform lives. The power to love people who don't deserve it and serve people who can't repay you.

We all have a picture in our minds of what Christmas should look like. We want to give and receive the perfect gifts. We want to throw the perfect gatherings. We want all of our decorations to look perfect. But we get disappointed when reality doesn't match our expectations. But the Christmas story reminds us that we don't have to feel let down when things don't go the way we expect. Because sometimes, when we don't get what we want that's when we really get what we need.

We all have expectations. About our jobs. About our relationships. About our families. About our lives. And especially about Christmas. But when those expectations aren't met, when Christmas doesn't turn out the way we hoped it would, we feel let down.

If God is asking you to do something and you're not sure you're hearing him right, if God is calling you to something and you're not sure you're qualified, if God is inviting you to be part of his story and you're full of doubts and questions...you're in good company. Joseph felt the same way. But he said yes anyway. And God used him in ways he never could have imagined.

God didn't just look at humanity from a distance and say, "Oh, that looks hard." God came down and lived it. He walked in our shoes. He experienced what we experience. He knows what we're going through because he's been through it too. That's Emmanuel. That's God with us.