After seeing a few other women reading Ann Voskamp’s
December devotional, The Greatest Gift,
and sharing quotes from it, I decided it was a book I wanted to pick up. Hope
and Melissa Emma rocked at sharing little bits of truth on Instagram! So, although
the book starts on December 1st, I joined on the 5th.
Better late than never right? This book really emphasizes slowing down at
Christmas, realizing the importance of the Gift, and understanding the reality
of Jesus’s birth. Ann Voskamp highlights amazing relationships between the Old
and New Testaments making the story of Jesus’s birth even more beautiful.
It’s a day late, but I wanted to share a few of my favorite
quotes from the book. Remember, Jesus doesn’t just come on Christmas day- He
comes every minute of every day. All quotes are from Ann Voskamp herself unless
otherwise noted. Enjoy the lingering of the holiday season and realize that the
Greatest Gift is here.
“The extraordinary thing that is about to happen is matched
only by the extraordinary moment just before it happens. Advent is the name of
that moment.”
-Frederick Buechner
“While other creeds endeavor to get us out of the world and
into heaven, in Christianity, heaven comes down and Christ comes into this
world to get us.” (p. 31)
“A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes… and is completely
dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture
of Advent.” –Dietrich Bonhoeffer (p. 82)
“Let everything go, and kneel. Kneel here and behold only
Him- the only place where you can receive the gift of acceptance, so the gods
of acceptance have no hold on you.” (p. 150)
“Without repentence, our hearts will be so full of worldly
things that there will be “no room in the inn” for Christ to be born again.”
(p. 162)
“All worry dethrones God. All worrying makes you king and
God incompetent. There is a King born in Bethlehem and on the throne. You can
breathe.” (p. 170)
“YOU ARE MOST PREPARED FOR CHRISTMAS WHEN YOU ARE DONE
TRYING TO MAKE YOUR PERFORMANCE INTO THE GIFT AND INSTEAD REVEL IN HIS PRESENCE
AS THE GIFT.” (p. 211)