CHRISTMAS EVE IS PERFECT TIME TO EXTEND THE INVITATION

What a wonderful time is Christmas Eve!

The anticipation which the day usually represents is enhanced this year by its falling on Sunday, releasing us today from the pressures of our jobs. No doubt most of us are now pleasantly enjoying a morning cup of coffee with the paper before getting ready for church, or perhaps relaxing after lunch. The out-of-town relatives will be arriving soon, or there's a nice party to go to later, or the kids will be in the program tonight, or maybe all of these.

There's so much to do today! Yet right now, for each of us, this is a relatively peaceful and relaxed moment, good for a moment of quiet reflection.

We do have special feelings of love for our families today -- we take much pleasure in the good fellowship of our friends in this season -- but is there a nagging feeling hanging back in our minds somewhere that the true religious spirit of Christmas has not come on us as it should? Is there a shortage of feeling in us about the real significance of the birth of Jesus Christ?

Perhaps a brief review of a few Christian principles will help: With wisdom we do not fully understand, God has chosen to give us free rein in our own lives. He has let us determine for ourselves whether we will even recognize his existence. And if we do choose to acknowledge him as the creator and ruler of the universe, he still permits us to decide for ourselves how much we will let him direct and guide our lives.

God does not force himself on us. He comes into our lives only if we choose to let him. An invited guest only! And therein lies the secret to solving that suspicion that we are missing something about Christmas and the rest of life.

Many have discovered this truth over the years and do so yet today, including this occasional writer. If we have a twinge of concern -- call it conscience, perhaps -- that God is not as important in our lives as he should be, then we have only to make the simple decision to let him come in. The Bible repeatedly records his promises that he will enter if invited. But the invitation must be given.

So, in these quiet moments on a wonderful day, maybe now is the time for the invitation to be extended. If done, perhaps neither thunder will sound nor visions appear. But God will respond to our request. As surely as the joy of Christmas morning swells in every child, God and his son, Jesus Christ, will enter every inviting heart. And the real blessing of Christmas will be known in those hearts forever.

Stephen E. Strom is a retired Cape Girardeau attorney.