Christmas is almost here, can you feel it? It's hard to believe how fast it came this year. As we run around like crazy people I hope we stop to realize why we celebrate Christmas. I feel like each year the message of Christmas gets pushed further away from us. Even the real story of Santa Claus gets over shadowed. Saint Nicholas had the heart of Christ and went about spreading love.
We don't have to don a red suit, gain weight by eating cookies, or train reindeer to pull a sleigh. We can spread that same love and joy St. Nicholas did with those around us. It's the nature of the world we live in, things aren't the best in the financial world. But the power of Christmas has nothing to do with money. It's hope. Hope in a savior, hope in mankind's redemption, hope that one day all the suffering will be done away with. What can we do in the meantime?
First we can “Be Christmas” to others. We can go about helping others, spreading hope and love to those in need. See my post about that here: Be Christmas: Giving
Second, let's stop running around and just be thankful. We need to spread a little hope in our own lives. I overheard someone in Target complaining that he didn't have a XBox 360. This wasn't a teenager either, but a grown man. He was telling his friend, it wasn't fair, his wife bought him a Wii last year but now he wanted the XBox and blah blah blah. Seriously? I know parents who's Christmas wish is that they have enough food to eat and warm jackets for their children. I have spent a lot of time teaching my 5 year old that we need to be thankful for what we have. She said to me yesterday that no matter what Santa brought her, she would be thankful and love her toys. That made me smile, I didn't have to tell her she told me!
This past year I did a photo journal of daily things to be thankful for. It was a reminder of God's blessings both big and small. I recently looked back at the photos and thought wow, how quickly I lose focus. There is danger when we get so caught up in the current circumstances that we forget the little blessings that are happening all around us. My day can be in a tailspin but if I find one thing to be thankful for it gives me the strength to keep going. I pray that you can always find a silver lining no matter what is happening in your life. After all, Christmas is a season of hope.
When doubts filled my mind,your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer. -Psalm 94:19
Leave a Reply