I'm sure I'm not the only person who has many fond memories of Christmas as a child. I'm probably not the only person who would like for the joy of those times to return. Do I just accept that it is because I'm an adult that the emotions of Christmas will never be the same? Should I feel guilty because the anticipation isn't the same as when I was a child?
Maybe it's because I worship Jesus all year round that the Christmas season is no different from any other time of year. Do we pressure each other to have a certain response when Christmas comes?
With all these questions, am I too self focused? Maybe that's the problem.
Let me say this. I am truly thankful that Jesus came. I'm sorry He had to endure what He did but I'm thankful He did it. Hebrews 12:2 says, "...who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross..." I'm thankful that the Lord sought me, revealed Himself to me, and gave me the faith to believe.
After having said that, my attitude is changing. It takes a reminder. I had to remind myself why we celebrate Jesus' birth. It was His death and resurrection that makes His birth worth celebrating. I'm no longer focused on me but on Him. It's not about ME!
In the midst of all your Christmas shopping and preparations, remind yourself why we celebrate Jesus' birth. Have a wonderful, blessed, joyous Christmas! God bless y'all real good.
1 comment:
The following comment is from a friend of mine.
Interesting observations in this latest post. From my perspective, the older I get, the more Christmas and Thanksgiving mean to me. Thanksgiving because I truly have a lot to give thanks for... Smart, happy kids... My wife's health... good jobs... most recently the announcement of my daughter's engagement to a fine young man. As we get older I have become more and more aware of how truly blessed my wife and I are to have these precious things.
As for Christmas, it is the one time of the year when you can see the positive side of humanity prominently on display. I'm not referring to the whole commercial aspect, but rather the spirit of generosity, the open sharing of good tidings, family and friends... During this one "season" people give from their hearts, welcome neighbors into their homes, spend quality time with their family... All things that would be good to see year round but seem to manifest themselves at a time of year when we recognize the birth of the greatest giver of all.
I've long wondered about the history of giving during the Christmas season. We were taught that the idea of giving at Christmas has its root with the story of the Magi and their gifts to Jesus. It has always seemed to me that we are recognizing the gifts that Jesus gave to us by giving gifts on the day that marks his birth. From a secular perspective, when my children each reached that age when they questioned the existence of Santa Claus, I told them the same thing I believe: Santa isn't a person. Santa is an idea that lives in your heart. Santa represents the idea that we can and should give freely and without thought to remuneration to those we love and those who have need. That is what Christ did for us. He didn't give physical gifts. He gave his love and his life. That is what we should do: love our fellow man and give our lives to God...
Just some rambling thoughts... I hope you and your family have a very good Crista. I suspect you will.
Post a Comment