5 Lessons From The Christmas Story We Can Apply to The New Year

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The Christmas Story Lessons

Here are 5 Lessons from the Christmas story we can apply to the New Year. 2020 has been tough for so many, but reflection always brings hope into a new season. 

I often look forward to Christmas Eve just as much as Christmas Day. It’s not yet Christmas Day, but there is anticipation, hope and expectation for what the following day will bring.

As most Christians do this time of year, I have reread the birth of Jesus. I always read The Message version as it gives me better understanding.

The Christmas Story never gets old for me.

As I read the verses, I was able to note down 5 things that can be taken away from the Christmas story to prepare us for the New Year. These 5 lessons can be applied any time of year and their simplicity reminds me no matter what plans I have, God’s plan is always bigger and greater.

5 Lessons from The Christmas Story we can apply to the New Year

5 Lessons from The Christmas Story we can apply to the New Year

1. The best laid plans can change instantly

If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that plans can go out the window during a pandemic.

There is still so much unknown with the future and this somewhat makes me fearful of the future. I like to have a plan and to know what I’m doing. Being organized has been important for the ease and flow of family life.

But despite what 2020 has taught me, my plans still need to be flexible and they can change in an instant.

Mary’s life was changed in an instant when she conceived baby Jesus. She was to be married to Joseph, but the cultural tradition of their marriage was interrupted by a virgin conception.

Mary and Joseph still got married and were able to add to their family after they had Jesus, so their family plans were still fulfilled, but the timing was different to what they would have expected.

Life can change instantly. While curveballs can be seen to disrupt the course of your direction, they could also be a blessing.

2. Problems are best dealt with quietly than publicly

When Joseph found out his bride-to-be was pregnant, he was going to let Mary go quietly.

Oh if only the world learned this lesson when engaging on social media!

Despite being hurt and thinking Mary had betrayed him, he didn’t want to cause Mary strife by publicly humiliating her for being pregnant before marriage.

As The Message retells it, “Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.”

Some things in life are best to be dealt with quietly and amicably. Taking the higher road like Joseph chose to do is something we can all do, especially in a world where it’s very easy to draw attention to a hurt through social media or gossip.

3. We’re not meant to try and figure out things on our own

Independence and self-sufficiency are honorable traits to have, but many problems are too burdensome for one set of shoulders.

The very reason why God sent Jesus to us was to reconcile ourselves to him. To open the pathway of communication between God and man.

God wants us to turn to him when we have problems, whether big or small.

When Joseph decided he was going to deal with Mary quietly, he wasn’t sure how he was to do it.

But right when Joseph was trying to figure out how to let Mary go, an angel of the Lord explained to Joseph in a dream, that he and Mary were part of God’s plan to bring a savior into the world.

Don’t ever doubt that God doesn’t want to give you direction when you face certain challenges in life. Sometimes, not everything is as it seems and we need God’s bird’s eye perspective to understand the challenge.

4. There is a cost and a blessing to obedience

When Joseph was told Mary was the virgin in the prophecy of Jesus birth, he was obedient to God and named the baby as the angel commanded.

The cost of obedience may mean a temporary inconvenience or sacrifice in life’s plans, but the blessing of being a part of God’s bigger plan was something I don’t think Mary or Joseph would have traded.

5. Fulfilling a God-given dream will never go without a hiccup or two

In an ideal world, Mary would have wanted to have given birth in a place better than a stable and she would have much preferred to lay the son of God in a crib, rather than a manger where the animals ate.

Yet despite the circumstances and location, Jesus was born.

Whatever dream God has given you to fulfil, don’t expect it to be easy and without problems or hassles. Walk the path and keep hopeful of the outcome.

The birth of Jesus is a story of hope and a reminder that God was prepared to come down as a man in order to reconcile humankind to himself.

It’s a miracle we need to reflect on and be grateful for during the holiday season.

But the lessons from the conception and birth are still valid in our busy world today. While the cultures and traditions may have changed, human nature and God’s nature have not.

I’m always expectant of wonderful opportunities on the arrival of a new year.

While the vast majority of us want to see the back of 2020, we can be grateful to have survived this year. We can be thankful for practicing resilience during a tough year and forever grateful for protection when hard decisions needed to be made.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2021.