Christmas. A word that can instill fear
in the hearts of people. Fear that we haven't gotten our Christmas
shopping done yet. Fear there's not enough time left to do all we
have to do. For some kids, it may be fear they weren't “good
enough” for Santa to bring them all that they want on their list
this year. For some adults, it may even be fear of the in-laws. Or
even fear of being alone during the holidays. But fear is the last
thing we should be experiencing!
I've been watching a lot of hokey
Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel. As one is finished, I tape
another one to the DVR so I don't miss it. They are ridiculously
hokey and, well, just ridiculous. But I can't stop watching them!
Because there's always a real message in them; apparently, the
Hallmark channel isn't afraid to make a movie with "God" in it. From
the singing of the real Christmas carols, to people being in church,
from showing a Christmas play about the birth of Jesus, and people
even praying over the dinner table. The acting may not be great, and
the story a bit hokey as I said, but the messages these movies bring
are down-home, real, and make you think. Christmas is not about fear.
Bob & I had a heart-to-heart this
year about gift giving. He doesn't understand the “wish list”
idea. He says a gift should be one given from the heart, not just
picked off a wish list. He grew up in a home where Christmas was
always first about the baby Jesus, and family next. Santa was way
down the line. They didn't make wish lists; gifts were given by
knowing the person you were buying for and giving something from
their hearts. It was different for me. It was always about Santa in
our house. Santa was the one bringing the gifts. We went to see Santa
and gave him our list of things we just had to have. We had to be
“good” all year, because if we weren't Santa would know! We
didn't get everything we had on our lists, but Santa was always
pretty good to us.
One year, while Derek was still so sick
and was in and out of the hospital, we had just gotten discharged
from the hospital and Christmas was just a week away. There was no
money for presents for him & Brooke, and it was all we could do
to get a tree in the house. We didn't know how we were even going to
get groceries. There certainly wasn't much Christmas spirit in our
home either. But guess what happened? There was a knock at the door
soon after we got home, and we found someone from the church we were
attending standing there, arms filled with boxes of groceries and
bags of presents for the kids. There are hardly words to express how
much that meant to us. People had given from their hearts, showing
the love of Jesus to us. I will never forget this act of kindness,
and it still brings tears to my eyes. The best gifts, ever.
This year, amidst all the hustle &
bustle, take some time to search your hearts. Ask God where you can
be used to help someone feel the love of Jesus this year. And
your heart will know the joy of blessing someone who will never
forget where the real Christmas spirit truly comes from.
Oh, and watch some hokey Christmas
movies on the Hallmark channel this year!
And the angel said to them, “Fear
not; for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to
all people. For to you is born this day in the city of David a
Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
Luke 2:10,11
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