I know that for some, the story of Christmas can be a head-scratcher, something that is hard to comprehend, especially if you do not have a Christian background. But even if you are from a Christian background, it can feel like a far-fetched story.

It has to do with a baby whose mother and father both said was conceived miraculously in one town, traveled miles to be born in another, and then fled to a completely different country. He fulfills a bunch of prophecies from Jewish tradition that promise a King would come and bring peace to the world.

How can Christians watch the news and believe that story?

Or was Jesus just one baby out of billions that was born?

It is an incredible story, and yet it is based on historical facts outside of the religion. While no one can prove how Jesus was conceived, there were certainly consistent witnesses of the story that was circulated. While no one can prove Jesus was without sin, there were men who were with him day and night who claimed he was the sinless son of God. And while even today some say he never claimed to be God, that was exactly why the Jews crucified him while the Roman official documents proclaimed it on his cross.

One of the biggest witnesses of Jesus is how he affected the world. Christianity became one of the biggest religions, changing how history is dated. Even though Christians were severely and historically persecuted, the religion unexplainably grew.

But the biggest witness of the impact of that baby was the change made in lives. Those who followed Christ told how he turned their lives around. I experienced my own life change; my own strength comes from the life of a baby who was different than all the rest.

I’m not trying to write a defining defense of Jesus – there are others who are far more qualified than me who have done that. But I think some of the allure of Christmas is in meditating on the possibility of one baby making an impact on not only the world but on individual lives.

One baby in a billion…

Question/Comment: Has the baby Jesus made an impact on your life? How?