Lessons We Can Learn From Cheesy Christmas Movies: #2 People Matter Most

Did you see the Christmas movie where the big-time, highly successful executive from the city goes to a small town and realizes their life is empty and meaningless?

If you answered “No”, I have to assume you’ve never watched a Christmas movie.

Because that’s one of the main plots—over and over and over again. (For those who may not know, there are also ever Fall-themed movies that have this plot. Yeah, I watch them too.)

It’s easy to mock the redundancy or the over-romanticizing of small towns, but there is an element of truth.

Many people—in big cities and small towns—are lonely. Isolated. Alone.

Perhaps one reason these movies are so appealing is that they remind us of the common truth that people are important. We can have all the things and win all the accolades, but in the end, people are what matter most.

As we look to Scripture, we see that this is the true meaning of Christmas:

God loves people.

In fact, He loves them so much that He sent His Son to earth to die on the cross to forgive our sins so that we could have a personal relationship with Him.

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. -1 John 4:9-10, NLT

This is the heart of Christmas.

But it doesn’t end there. Keep reading the next few verses.

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. -1 John 4:11-12, NLT

Not only does God love us and want us to have a personal relationship with Him, but He also designed us to have loving relationships with one another.

In God’s eyes, people are important.

Actually, they are most important.

If we want to live healthy, whole, abundant lives in Christ, we need both a healthy relationship with God and with others. It’s in the DNA of every human being—we need other people—we need relationships.

The truth is that you probably don’t need to uproot your life, quit your job, and move to a town with a funny Christmas name to overcome loneliness. You don’t even need twinkling lights or a Christmas tree.

You need to prioritize people.

Spend time with your family—weird quirks and all.

Do the work necessary to build strong friendships.

Find a healthy, Bible-believing church and become a part of it.

Starting this Christmas and carrying it into the New Year, you will make people a priority and see if it doesn’t change YOUR life.