Well, it's that time of year again...Christmas. I'll come right out with it, this is not one of my favorite times of year. Don't get me wrong, I love being with family, focusing on Jesus, stuffing myself full and getting/giving gifts. But the holiday itself ranks right around Arbor Day for me. For years I have railed against the consumer mentality of the season, and I am not going to take much time in the blog to do that now. You know the complaints: we spend too much money that we don't have for stuff we will not like, or use 6 months from now, only to be replaced next year by more stuff. Somebody let me off the hamster wheel!
My family has started, slowly but surely, to intentionally downsize our Christmas. There are less presents under the tree, more intentionality in the gift giving, and an attempt to lift up Christ as the "reason for the season". This year we decided to drop gifts for extended family and instead take the money we would normally spend and give it to a charity of choice. I like that. For our family, some guy in Burkina Faso and his wife will be getting a brand new bicycle that they can use to get back and forth to work so they can make a living. Now that's Christmas. Kind of puts little Johnny screaking for an Xbox 360 in persepctive. That's something that could even cause a heart like mine to grow 3 sizes this day.
I hope you and your family take time to give thanks to Jesus and reconsider what you do on this holiday. You don't have to eliminate presents all together, but maybe there is something you could genuinely do for others that would roc their world. Touch their hearts. Make baby Jesus smile.
Merry Christmas all you readers. I hope the love of Christ is real to you and the giving of the Son of God to a hostile earth prompts you to give of you and your family to others that may need it, but may not deserve it. Just like you. Just like me.
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