“Mommy, I can’t wait until Christmas!” Claire squealed as she did a cartwheel.

“I know, Claire,” Mommy said. “You only have to wait a few more days.”

“How many days till Christmas?” Claire’s little brother, Camden, asked.

Mommy laughed. “Only five more! While we wait let’s talk about why we have Christmas.”

“Oh, I know,” Claire said quickly. “That’s when Jesus was born!”

“That’s right!” Mommy answered. “Christmas should remind us of God’s gift to all the world—his Son Jesus. God said that when Jesus grew up he would ‘save his people from their sins’” (Matthew 1:21).

“What does that mean, Mommy?” Camden wondered.

“Sins are the wrong things that we say and do. Things like disobeying your daddy and me, fighting with each other, or telling lies. The Bible, God’s special book, says that ‘all have sinned’ (Romans 3:23)—children and adults too.

“When you do something wrong at home or school, you know you’re in trouble when you get caught. God knows all about us and knows every time we sin. And our sins get us into trouble with God! That’s why he sent Jesus to be born here on earth.

Jesus never sinned, and when he became a grown man, he chose to be punished for our sins, so we wouldn’t have to be. He died on the cross to save us from our sins, just like the Bible says. Then Jesus came back to life.”

“Jesus must really love us to die for us!” Claire exclaimed.

“That’s right,” Mommy replied. “He did it so we can have a very special gift. The Bible says ‘the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 6:23). Eternal life means living with Jesus and God in heaven forever and ever!”

“How can we get the gift, Mommy?” Claire asked.

“The Bible says that ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16). If you believe with all your heart God sent Jesus to die for you and that you want Jesus to forgive your sins, you can tell God with a prayer like this:

Dear God, I believe that Jesus died because of my sins. I am trusting you to forgive my sins. I want to live in heaven with you forever. Thank you!”

Just like Claire and Camden, you can have your sins forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life. Christmas may be days away, but you can have God’s greatest gift right now!