When I realized that Christmas was on a Monday, I knew that I needed a very special Good Things to wrap up the Childless Holidays Series. As I contemplated the true meaning of the season, I thought about everything I’ve written over the past month. Yes, we talked about Rudolph and Santa. Yes, I wrote a list about the bright sides of a childless Christmas, including watching whatever Christmas movies you want and being able to attend holiday parties without getting a sitter. But the real reason for Christmas is to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Jesus was childless, too.
And it dawned on me… Jesus was childless, too. Although Jesus was childless by circumstance because He never got married, He still understands our childless journey. During his 33 years on this Earth, Jesus never had a child—biological or adopted—of his own, so he knows how it feels to not have kids. And yet, He surrounded himself with children, telling others to allow the littles near him. Jesus loved kids with his whole heart and had a gentle, nurturing spirit. He is the perfect example of a childless person.
Christmas, a holiday to celebrate the birth of a childless man.
This thought made me smile, and a peace came over me. Christmas, often considered a holiday for kids or a season of family, is actually a holiday to celebrate the birth of a childless man. And this man who came into the world quietly and humbly, gives us the ideal example of what it means to be childless, loving and kind, embracing life as it is, and living for the glory of God.
So, as we celebrate this December 25, let us consider the true meaning of this day. Let us rejoice in the birth of our Lord and Savior. Let us be like Him, remembering that Jesus was childless, too.
3 comments
Your gift is gleaning the meaning and joy in all situations. I am so proud to be your mom. ❤
Amen and amen! And from a Catholic Christian perspective, it was helpful for me to recognize that a whole lot of the Saints are childless as well: St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Francis de Sales, St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa), Blessed Solanus Casey, the list goes on and on… So I have a whole lot of “older brothers and sisters” who can be role models in living lives of love and gratitude and relationship with God. I’ve become ever more convinced in these past few years that God is inviting each of us to holiness, to love Him and those around us, right here and right now, in the lives we actually have, not the ones we might wish we have.
But it still helps sometimes to choose the 10 PM Christmas Eve service, that’s far less populated with large families of many children, rather than the 5 PM one featuring the children’s choir. 😉
You are absolutely correct! While we can choose joy, embracing our childless lives, we must also know our limits. So if going to the 10 PM service allows us to more easily keep our joy, then that is exactly what we should do!