I heard something profound today during a kid’s church lesson. Christmas is about relationships. Now, this is something I’ve clearly known before but for some reason, it never clicked until today. I know that Christmas isn’t about presents, but it’s about Jesus. But what was the most important thing to Jesus? Relationships.

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. – Matthew 22:37 – 38

The bible says the greatest commandment is to first love God. This means he wants a relationship with each one of us. That’s why he came. Not just to save us, but to have a relationship with us. To show us that He loves us so much He would have his son die to make sure we spend eternity together.

But the importance of relationships doesn’t just stop there. Further in Matthew, Jesus conveys the importance of loving others.

39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  – Matthew 22:39 – 40

Not only does God want us to build a close bond with him, but He wants us to be there for each other. In many cases, this is easier said than done – especially during the holidays.

A wise person once told me that God gives you the family you have to make it easier to love others. It’s a simple thought to have unconditional love for your family members and forgive them for their crazy. But can you imagine having that same kind of compassion for a complete stranger? That’s that kind of love God is talking about in these scriptures.

In all honesty, this kind of love does not come naturally to me either. But that’s okay. It’s a work in progress and being a disciple in an ongoing journey. I hope with the new year around the corner, you can also take hold of the relationships in your life. Try to give people a little more grace. All of us come with our own baggage, but God loves us all the same. If He can love me through all my ugly, I can surely obey his command to love others.

I hope you have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.