The True Which means of Christmas: Religion, Hope, & Love

December 24, 2024

Ah, the vacations! 

That magical time of 12 months throughout which seemingly each health fanatic and well being nut (responsible as charged!) appears to get misplaced in a frosty wonderland of vacation calorie-burning biohacks, frantic journeys to the gymnasium, and aggressive abstinence from alcohol to non-organic, GMO eggnog—fairy-dusted with seed oils. 

You recognize what I am speaking about: these 4 a.m. Christmas morning kettlebell swings to “offset” the second serving to of prime rib, the high-protein, follistatin-inducing fruitcake (as a result of in keeping with TikTok, whey isolate belongs in the whole lot, proper?), the 999 Christmas morning sit-up problem (leading to a again extra bent and twisted than a high-rewards, holiday-shopping bank card) and the ceremonial polar plunge—with a post-plunge debate over whether or not it counts as a correct chilly thermogenesis session for those who skipped the breathwork and pre-plunge black pepper extract with berberine.

And let’s not neglect the culinary conundrum of Santa’s midnight arrival: must you ditch the normal cookies n’ milk for keto-friendly almond flour cookies or omit gluten-free protein bars to make sure he can squeeze down the chimney with out messing up his macros? 

Oh, and who may overlook the DIY health tools craze? Nothing screams “vacation spirit” like fashioning a resistance band out of discarded reward wrap ribbons or turning an empty gingerbread home field right into a balance-training gadget, as a result of, properly, the gyms are closed, these Scrooges.

However amid this whirlwind of wellness, are we maybe lacking the purpose, notably these of us feeding by means of the firehose of “the way to keep wholesome,” “not get fats,” or “add just a few centimeters to our telomeres” this vacation season? 

Positive, it’s entertaining to experiment with the proper mix of peppermint oil and nasal respiratory for enhanced Christmas caroling lung capability, or pleasure oneself on discovering immune-friendly A2 camel’s milk for Santa’s annual providing (the one means he’s going to choke down the cardboard texture of an almond flour cookie), however perhaps—simply perhaps—there’s one thing deeper right here—one thing we must replicate on earlier than dashing right into a snowshoe hike with a weighted jinglebell vest.

When you peel again the tinsel and protein powder mud, Christmas isn’t about getting leaner or grumpily out-fasting the co-worker subsequent to you on the workplace occasion. It’s not about you getting the purple mild face masks you’ve been dreaming about. It actually isn’t about furtive glances at your steady glucose monitor to see your blood glucose response to biting off a gingerbread man’s head.  

Christmas is about one thing infinitely extra profound.

At its core, Christmas is a celebration of the final word reward: the start of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, despatched by our Creator to supply salvation to the world. That story isn’t about retail reductions or completely sculpted abs; it’s about humility, love, and style. Born in an animal manger—not precisely a luxurious, mold-free, HBOT-cleansed luxurious resort—Jesus’ arrival was a declaration of God’s need to save lots of the created humanity He so dearly loves, to carry hope to the damaged, and to offer mild in a world overshadowed by sin.

God didn’t care for those who had been match sufficient.

Or knowledgeable sufficient.

Or wealthy sufficient.

God actually didn’t care for those who had the longest telomeres, since He already found out the way to make them final perpetually. 

God solely cared—and nonetheless cares—that you’re a distinctive human being that He created, and irrespective of your scars, your trauma, your uphill battles, your sin, your disgrace, or your guilt, He liked, and loves, you so unconditionally that He was keen to ship His son, Jesus Christ, to planet Earth within the type of a tiny child boy who may develop as much as die on your sins, defeat evil perpetually, and provide the free reward of everlasting life.

Christmas is a time to keep in mind that unimaginable reward that God gave you and me. That’s the which means behind the merriment. That’s the reason we’ve been celebrating that reward for over 2,000 years. That’s the reason the true which means of Christmas is love. As John 3:16–17 says, “For God so liked the world that he gave his one and solely Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish however have everlasting life.”

Jesus’s start was the final word reward: an invite for you and I to expertise peace, pleasure, and restoration—a peace that isn’t dependent in your VO2 max or coronary heart price variability, and a salvation with a promise of everlasting, good life that goes far past any life-enhancement or transhumanistic applied sciences so typically lauded, glorified, and even worshiped within the universe of well being and biohacking.

Christmas is a calendared, highly-anticipated magical time to replicate upon God’s love for us and the supernatural arrival of His good son, Jesus Christ. It’s a time to place apart our grievances, embrace forgiveness, and acknowledge that the best reward we are able to supply others is even the slightest glimmer of imitation of God’s grand love—not essentially within the type of a superbly bubble-wrapped jar of collagen peptides (although these are nonetheless fairly nice, particularly when blended with sizzling chocolate and stevia-flavored mini-marshmallows), however as an alternative within the type of deep, intentional, joyful human connection and a time of giving and receiving gratefully with our pals, household, and family members.

So this 12 months, as an alternative of specializing in the proper vacation well being hack, flip your consideration to sacrificial love, time, and presence for others. Put aside your carnal wants and your health or well being targets, and as an alternative take a while to focus upon and perceive others who crave love, connection, and deeper which means this vacation season. Positive, give your nephew the ugly elf sweater, but in addition give him a giant hug, look deep into his eyes, and inform him, “God loves you, it doesn’t matter what, and that’s why we’re celebrating immediately.”

In spite of everything, it’s straightforward to get caught up within the noise—the purchasing, the planning, the limitless meal prep, and frantic Google searches to arrange Aunt Edna a meat-free tofu roast drizzled with past turkey drippings. However the essence of Christmas is discovered not in what we do however in who we are: kids of God known as to dwell lives of generosity, compassion, and gratitude—and to have fun and replicate the best reward humankind ever obtained.

So take a second this season to pause, rethink your priorities, and dwell a couple of minutes of your life for another person who wants you greater than you want your self, even when it means skipping a exercise or leaving a kale smoothie to get heat and soggy on the counter. Spend time with family members, join with a buddy or relative you haven’t had a deep dialog with shortly, supply a serving to hand to these in want, and make loads of room for pleasure and laughter. 

As you and I embrace the true which means of Christmas—religion, hope, and love—let’s keep in mind to unfold this message to our family and friends. Give generously and share heat and kindness, skip the 999 sit-ups to offer 9 hugs, and forego any judgmental stares upon these sitting quietly with a grandchild whereas munching on a 3rd slice of blueberry cheesecake and staring wistfully on the mild snowfall exterior! 

In spite of everything, love, acceptance, and connection weigh greater than any high-protein, follistatin-activating fruitcake ever may.

And my last reward to you on this temporary, light-hearted thought stream on Christmas Eve? Could I current, no unwrapping crucial, one among my favourite Christmas songs from one among my favourite Christmas albums ever. Get pleasure from with a smile and a piping sizzling cup of cocoa (adaptogenic mushrooms non-compulsory), as a result of that’s a part of what Christmas is to me.