As I excitedly get ready to be with my family for Christmas, I tell myself that I know the real meaning of Christmas. It is not about the presents. Although I am a gifter. If there were no holiday that promoted gift giving I would go broke giving presents all year long.
It is not about the decorations. Still I love seeing all the lights glimmering at this time of year.
It is not even about the Christmas Carols, which I listen to all year long.
I am thinking it is about friends and family celebrating the birth of Jesus.
Then I read an article in "Our Daily Bread" on Dec. 15th, in my morning devotions. It was titled "Canceled Christmas". It was about a couple that was unable to be with their family for Christmas because of weather related flight cancelations. They felt like their Christmas was canceled because they couldn't celebrate with their family.
They went to church that Sun. where their pastor spoke of Christmas expectations.. He said, "If our expectations for Christmas are gifts and time with family, we have set our expectations too low."
That really hit me. Yes we have always talked about how Jesus is "The reason for the Season." We read the Christmas story and sometimes sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.
Although we give gifts we always downplay their importance. But I have been putting the importance of being with my family ahead of "The Reason for the Season".
Could I actually celebrate His birth if for some reason I couldn't be with our family? Sobering thought.
Christmas needs to be celebrated as the beginning of the end.
It started with His birth and continued with His death and resurrection. Not to mention all of His teachings and loving examples.
All of that brought an end to our separation from God and the end of our deserved penalty for our sin, with our acceptance of what Jesus has done for us and turning back to God the Father. We can now have a relationship with our Holy Father and the Son.
I pray that I stop having such low expectations for Christmas and put my heart where it should be and celebrate "The Beginning of The End"!
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Sunday, March 24, 2013
2012 is OVER!
I haven't been here for a while. I have been so busy. And when I wasn't, I was computerless. So with a new computer and a little time, I decided I would jot down a few things.
The biggest news since my last visit is I have a new granddaughter. My oldest daughter and her husband are in the process of bringing her home from China. I can't wait to meet her. I already have done the grandma thing and crocheted her a sweater.
The color is really more of a fuchsia. I am anxious to see it on her.
It had been a really tough end of 2012 for family and friends. Our dear friend Ron Trueblood was killed in a freak accident. Our brother-in-law died from heart failure less than 2 months later. Also and older man from our church in IN. passed away. There were also several friends that lost family members and parents. I pray for these people daily. I know that this first year without their loved ones will be the hardest. First birthdays, first anniversary, first Holidays... We have been there. You still miss them but it gets easier. There are days though that pop up out of our busy lives and remind us that they are gone and we cry. We miss them and are sad at what they are missing. But as finite minded humans we have it all wrong. When Those people died as forgiven Christians we are the ones that are missing out. They are happy and painless in a place that we cannot even begin to imagine. They get to see Jesus face to face! Why would we want them to come back to this mess of a world. The hate, corruption, the anti-God and anti-morality. Our concentration should be here on earth trying our hardest to convince our loved ones, that are still here, we want to see them in eternity with us.
Yes it is sad and lonely without those that have gone before but what a reunion we will have one day. It is something to look forward to not to dread or weep over.
These are just a few of the ones I pray for daily to be spending my eternity with!
No matter how much winter tries to hang on spring will come!
The biggest news since my last visit is I have a new granddaughter. My oldest daughter and her husband are in the process of bringing her home from China. I can't wait to meet her. I already have done the grandma thing and crocheted her a sweater.
It had been a really tough end of 2012 for family and friends. Our dear friend Ron Trueblood was killed in a freak accident. Our brother-in-law died from heart failure less than 2 months later. Also and older man from our church in IN. passed away. There were also several friends that lost family members and parents. I pray for these people daily. I know that this first year without their loved ones will be the hardest. First birthdays, first anniversary, first Holidays... We have been there. You still miss them but it gets easier. There are days though that pop up out of our busy lives and remind us that they are gone and we cry. We miss them and are sad at what they are missing. But as finite minded humans we have it all wrong. When Those people died as forgiven Christians we are the ones that are missing out. They are happy and painless in a place that we cannot even begin to imagine. They get to see Jesus face to face! Why would we want them to come back to this mess of a world. The hate, corruption, the anti-God and anti-morality. Our concentration should be here on earth trying our hardest to convince our loved ones, that are still here, we want to see them in eternity with us.
Yes it is sad and lonely without those that have gone before but what a reunion we will have one day. It is something to look forward to not to dread or weep over.
These are just a few of the ones I pray for daily to be spending my eternity with!
No matter how much winter tries to hang on spring will come!
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