I love Christmas time. It's a time to celebrate the birth of my Christ. As a Christian, this is the focus for us during the season. In our home we try to do all we can to center all that Christmas is, around Christ and the thankfulness we have in our hearts for the GIFT God so graciously gave to us.
It's fun to buy and receive presents at Christmas. And in our house, our kids 3 and 2, know that the reason we receive presents is to represent the gifts that Jesus was brought on the night of his birth. Santa loves to be a part of celebrating Jesus' birthday too, so in our house, he brings one gift to help celebrate and then the other 3 gifts represent the 3 wise men gifts to Jesus and those are from Mom and Dad.
The season is about so much more than just gimme, gimme, and "what can I get." If we are being honest with ourselves, most of us, we need nothing at all! I bet if each of us, took something from around the house, wrapped it up for someone else in our house, and gave it as a gift, we have so much stuff, that we may or may not even remember we already had that! There is nothing wrong with giving and receiving, but when the focus comes off what it's truly all about, that's when there's a problem.
How many people have you heard COMPLAIN about their families in the last 3 weeks. COMPLAIN that they have to drive here, go there, and do this, and do that? Well, that was me too, in fact, up until recently, like REAL recently, like in the last HOUR recently, I hit a wall. I heard these words, "well, at least you have a family to spend this special time with!" Wow. How many of us are going through grieving the loss of a loved one this Christmas? How many of us have a mom or dad we don't even know, because they were NEVER a part of our lives? How many have a family member over seas fighting for our country, and it's another Christmas that they aren't home for? I mean, we could really go on and on, couldn't we. I am sure there is a "fill-in the blank" here for you too...
If you have family to COMPLAIN about, consider yourself VERY blessed, and then SHUT UP! If you don't want to drive here and there, then DON'T go, if you don't want to do this and that, then DON'T DO IT! I mean, no one is twisting your arm, and if you are doing it out of pure guilt, then your heart isn't in it anyway. I know this might sound harsh, but my heart at this time of year ALWAYS goes out to those who are hurting and if we think TRUE hurt is when we can't figure out how to get to Grandmas and then to Aunt Jane's all on Christmas, well then we need to look again. So this year for me and my family, we are going to embrace every given minute with each and every member of our family and treat it as tho it may be the last, because in all actuality, we never do know.
And my last point I need to address... Money! Really?! Why, is it all about QUANTITY instead of QUALITY?! What happened to buying something for someone because you KNEW they would love it. Who cares what the cost is (meaning, it doesn't need to be $100 gift to put a smile on someones face). Sometimes the SIMPLEST gifts, in fact most the time the simplest gifts, ones from the heart are what mean the very most!! I think we need to stop stressing out on what we spend each year and get REAL creative with how we spend our resources on the ones we love. I hate to think that people go into debt, and stress out about having to buy me and my family anything, honestly, the time with our family is so important, we'd rather just that! Do you think at my funeral ANYONE will talk about the gifts they bought for me? No. But my hope is, they will talk about the memories we made! That's important - make memories your priority #1 and then the gift will come...
Done with my rant. I was getting really fed up with ME and others around me, TV, and radio... why does it have to be a "STRESSFUL" time of year? It doesn't, not if we can see it in another light! I am filled with JOY, that I have a warm home to spend this very COLD season in, I have a vehicle to help get us to see all our family, we have food in our fridge that we would GLADLY share with anyone in need, and we all have clothes on our back. I know it's real basic, and maybe even a little clique, but if we started counting our blessings, instead of all we DON'T have, it might just show us that we already are VERY rich and have all that we already need.
Merry Christmas! I hope that you will go out and spread the JOY of the season!!
Remember the greatest gift of all the birth of our Savior, who came to this earth, and then died, so that you, and I could have eternal life in heaven for evermore, if we so choose to be believe, and follow.
Jesus is the REAL reason for the SEASON. If we can get that right this Christmas and the rest will fall into place.
