Christmas greetings

I hope this Christmas season finds everyone well. This has been one crazy year full of change and adventure. I think we can all agree upon that.

Long, long ago a little boy was born. The sun still shone that day. The moon still came out. Stars sparkled above. Inside a small stable, his mother held him close to her heart. She thought of the angels, the things they had said at his birth. Small shepherd boys came to gaze in awe. The mother, Mary, thought of the prophecies from prophets of old...she knew what they said about the baby Jesus, about his life. He had come to save the people...to love the people. It's his love that saves.
I contemplate which does more of the saving, the actual act of the Atonement, or the principle of love behind the act. It is the Savior's love that changes our hearts and makes us worthy to live in his presence once more. It is the understanding and experiencing of His love that enables us to repent and be forgiven. It is what motivates us to repent and be forgiven. It is the love that He showed...that saves us. We cannot be saved without His love...we must understand the depth and far reaches of his love in order to pick ourselves up after we've fallen. But I don't have to pick myself up all alone; He is always there to help me up. I love my Savior so much.