This is part of the series The Gifts Of The Holidays: Celebrating Thanksgiving And Christmas. Read more from the series!

Perhaps one of the most craved gifts of Christmas is acceptance.

We have such a difficult time with this one, don’t we?

It’s easy to accept those who…

• Are like us.
• Have similar interests.
• Exist in similar circles.
• We want to be like.
• Like us.

Fortunately for us, that’s not how God operates.

Imagine if he came to earth to save only the people he liked. Those he didn’t like would have no hope. Those who hated him would be destined for hell. Those who sinned would be out of luck.

That includes you and me.

That’s a hard scenario to imagine, but really, in God’s perfect justice, he would have the right to do just that if he wanted.

Thankfully, he chose to be loving and accepting instead.

Take a close look at this passage from Romans:

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Romans 15:5-7)

Or, back up a few chapters to Romans 3:

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24)

Because of God’s acceptance of us, we have the opportunity to choose eternity with him forever. But this is only made possible through the death and resurrection of Christ. Without Christmas, there would have been no Easter. And so the gifts of Christmas convey more meaning that we can even possibly imagine.

When we look upon the manger scenes that many of us display in our homes, when you gaze upon the Christ child laying in the manger, you see acceptance.

God accepted you…

• in spite of your issues
• in spite of your problems
• in spite of your shortcomings
• in spite of your… sin.

Thank God for the gift of acceptance this Christmas.

Have you ever stopped and really thought about what it means to be accepted? Who do you know that needs to be shown this gift this Christmas? What are you going to do about it? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.