The holy Christ is born in me today

The word *born* suggests something new, but also something that was already alive before I could see it.

I often approach change as a construction project. I identify what is wrong with me, gather better habits, and try to build a more patient or spiritual person from the available material.

This lesson offers a different beginning.

The holy Christ is not an improved personality I manufacture. It is the Self created by God becoming visible through my willingness to stop identifying only with fear.

I remember preparing for a gathering where I expected to feel awkward. My usual strategy was to plan what I would say, anticipate difficult questions, and create a version of myself that would appear comfortable.

That day, I tried something simpler. Before walking in, I asked to remember that I did not need to earn my place in the room.

The anxiety did not vanish. But I became less occupied with managing myself and more able to notice other people.

Something was born into the encounter that fear could not have planned: genuine interest.

Christ is born in me whenever love becomes more important than the identity I am trying to protect.

Today I do not need to produce a transformed self.

The birth may look quiet. A less defended answer. A moment of listening. The decision not to repeat an old accusation.

Holiness does not arrive from somewhere else.

It becomes recognizable when I make room for what God has already placed within me.