What’s important to you? As a child, I pretty much had everything I ever wanted, but marrying at a young age showed me that the “Things” of life are not always available to us. Today, however, I’ve learned what’s really important. Oh, I still have lots of stuff that is special to me, but I feel great peace in the knowledge that the most important entity in my life is Jesus, knowing Him and being known by Him.

The apostle Paul, in the year 61 AD, wrote a beautiful letter to the church at Philippi. When he wrote this letter, he was in a Roman prison. The letter was in thanksgiving for a gift they had sent him and to encourage them in their faith. Imagine! He’s in prison and wants to encourage others in their faith. He goes on to say that his successes mean nothing because what’s most important is knowing Jesus Christ. He wrote this:

“…Whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him…”

Enjoy your earthly treasures as you decorate your home for yet another Christmas but remember, the most important thing cannot be found under your tree. Your relationship with Jesus is what will remain above all else.

About the author: Previously the priest at St. Francis of Assisi in Lake Placid for 21 years, Rev. Elizabeth L. Nelson is now the Priest at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in LaBelle.