In the midst of this season, people either get excited or stressed. Excited about the fun of giving and receiving or not being able to. Maybe even no one to share the season with. Why? Are you excited because someone is going to give you something, or you can give to others? Are you sad because you feel obligated to participate and can't.

What if the joy or depression are both synthetic, not real? The joy not real because the giving and receiving will end soon and it will be back to everyday life, or the burden not real because we were never supposed to be obligated in the first place.

What is real? Jesus. He came, He died, He forgives, just ask. Then whether you give, receive, or can do neither, YOU CAN FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD. You can have ultimate eternal peace with GOD because what makes you right lies only in what HE has done for you. That's Real.

So ask Him for a relationship as soon as you finish reading, and experience reality like never before.

But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8
For whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Romans 10:13

How many times do we come in contact with people who have needs? Do we think of it as opportunity to be like Jesus?

Proverbs 3:28 (nlt) If you can help your neighbor now, don't say come back tomorrow and then I can help you.

In John 18, a blind man heard Jesus walk by and cried out, "Jesus, have mercy on me." Jesus healed the man of his sight. When we come in contact with people who are sad, broken, lonely, or lost, we have a chance to share the love of Christ, to make a difference. How often do we join "the crowd" in mocking the "different" people?

They have a need, we can help. Next time we see a person in tough times, let's stop and share Jesus with them. It could be a prayer, could be our friendship, could just be acknowledgment. Just like Jesus healing the blind man, people will be changed for-ever.