Christian Living

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T’was The Night Before Christmas
© 2011

by

Stephen A. Peterson


While in Iraq, members of the radiological staff invited United States Army Second Lieutenant Grady Childs to go Christmas caroling with them around the hospital ward where injured service personnel were recuperating from surgery. At first Lieutenant Childs didn’t want to do any caroling citing that he had a great deal of work to complete. Following visits from the Company Commander and First Sergeant, Lieutenant Childs found the time to participate.

On Christmas Eve, Lieutenant Childs, with five other soldiers sang from one section of the hospital to another repeatedly singing seven selected Christmas carols. The group was greeted with clapping, smiles and waving as a gesture of thanks. Lieutenant Childs felt the joys of Christmas. As he returned to his paperwork, all he could think of was nothing but the coming of Christ to earth on that first Christmas some 2,000 years before and what that meant to those who experienced the first Christmas.

Lieutenant Childs felt a sense of joy. “Why?” he thought. Above his desk was his dictionary. Taking it down, he carefully searched for the word “joy”. It was written, “...an emotion evoked by the ability to give to others comfort.” Closing the book, he realized he had forgotten what the spirit of Christmas was and what God did for humankind due to him making himself busy. He had the usual complaint “I have so much to get done and little time to accomplish my tasks.”

On the night before Christmas in Iraq, Lieutenant Childs discovered the true meaning of Christmas once again. He learned that Christ isn’t Somebody he had to find. Christ is already in humanity. One does not have look for a star or look for a living person to inform a person of Christ’s presence. Christ’s glory, he learned, is not just on earth, but in the hearts and lives of humankind.

From the Christmas forward, let us celebrate Christ’s coming daily. Let Christ’s coming be a part of any and everything we do. That is, from our most quiet periods to our busiest. We can acknowledge his presence in a five seconds prayer: “God is with me. God is in me.” Let Him permit us to put His unconditional love in every act we perform. One does not have to search for Him…He is already here! Let Him in!

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