Greg Laurie

Are you feeling ready for Christmas?With many things trying to steal our focus away from Jesus this season, it reminds me of a humbling Christmas story I experienced. A couple of years back, Cathe and I were in New York City at Christmastime. I had been invited to preach there and we were checking out the city with friends. It was pouring rain and I went to get a cab so we all could get across town.I hailed a cab while the others waited in a dry place. Meanwhile, I’m drenched. A cab stops and I tell the driver, “Hold on one minute while I go get the others.” I run back to get them and just before we make it to the taxi, some guy jumps into our waiting cab.I tell him, “Hey, that’s my cab!”Now, New York City doesn’t exactly have a reputation for being the friendliest town, but I wasn’t expecting the guy to give me the middle finger—right in my face. Let me tell you, right there in the middle of the Big Apple in the pouring rain. I got mad.Here’s where it gets bad. I shoved him. This guy “stole” my cab and he used an obscene gesture, and it felt so right to put him in his place. We ended up getting in the cab and I was feeling really good . . . until the adrenaline wore off. Then I thought, “What on earth did I just do? I am here to preach in New York City at Christmastime. What if this man shows up and recognizes me as the guy who shoved him for a cab? Yeah, Merry Christmas!”Here’s my point. As we get closer to Christmas and the stress starts to build and things aren’t necessarily going the way we planned, it’s easy to start getting selfish—to focus inward. Don’t do that. Don’t lose the focus of Christmas.It’s a time when we should be looking outward, and better yet, upward. So take a step back and look for ways to celebrate the Savior’s birth and tell others about His love.Listen: the whole point of Christmas is that Jesus came to save sinners like me. Thank God for His forgiveness! Let’s share that Good News with the world!In Him,Greg LaurieSenior PastorHarvest Christian FellowshipRiverside, CA