Skip to main content

Christmas reflection


This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  Luke 2:12


Christmas is almost over.  We scoured the malls for the perfect gifts. Stood in the freezing weather to sing carols. We went to the Christmas parties; stayed up late wrapping gifts that will be unwrapped way quicker than they were wrapped. We planned and cooked a dinner. We have eaten way more than any one person ought to eat; yet, when dessert is brought out we quickly partake.  We have visited with family.  If you're like me, these are the things we think of when we think about Christmas.  This year God has challenged me to reevaluate my ideas about Christmas.  We all have heard the phrase, "Jesus is the reason for the season".   Yet, it's easy to get sidetracked.  To lose sight of the stable in search of a perfect Christmas.  So this year God challenged me to stop trying to make Christmas perfect and let each Christmas be unique.  This year we did not have as much to spend as other years; not everyone was home.  Yet, in spite of this, I feel more content than I have other years.  I decided to use this year as a year to focus on the stable.  Gifts are great! I love giving and getting gifts, but gifts do not make or break Christmas.  If they did, this year would be a bust!  Carols and lights are wonderful too, and they have been spectacular this year, but Christmas would still be Christmas even without light, carols or food and parties.  Fact is Christmas doesn't depend on any of those things.  It doesn't even depend on family and who is around you. If we really believe that Christmas is to celebrate Jesus birth, then all of our celebrating should be the result of that, and whether we have a lot or a little will not matter.  Nor will it matter who is celebrating with us because the main thing is the baby in a manger.  When we remember that, we can stop trying to create a perfect Christmas that lives up to all our expectations and enjoy the uniqueness that each Christmas brings.   When we let go of perfection, we can truly be content with worshiping a baby in a manger.  So if, like me, this year wasn't perfect celebrate the baby and  remember it wasn't perfect for him either.

Away in A Manger   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0L_pfByht8

 Away in a manger no crib for a bed 
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head 
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay 
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. 

The cattle are lowing the baby awakes 
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes. 
I love you Lord Jesus; look down from the sky 
And stay by my side until morning is nigh. 

Be near me Lord Jesus I ask you to stay 
Close by me for ever, and love me, I pray. 
Bless all the dear children in your tender care, 
And fit us for heaven, to live with you there
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thank You God For Turning Our Ashes into Beauty

There are tragedy and sadness in everyone's life, No one is exempt. Yet, in the midst of the hurt and pain, God is there. He takes the things that hurt us and make us sad and turns them into things are beautiful. The death of my mother  was a tragedy to my dad. However, because of that tragedy, my dad began to see his need for God. In his brokenness, he found a God that could make him whole.  God turned his ashes into beauty. My dad, in turn, taught me to love God.   I am blessed to know God as my savior because of my dad. God also blessed me with a lovely step-mom Life is harsh at times, and many things are sad,  Yet, if we let him, he will take our ashes and make them into a work of art.   He delights in making the ash heaps of our life beautiful.   When we are broken, God is near, and where there is sorrow, he will turn it into dancing.   Thank you, God, F...
Post a Comment
Read more

Doctors and Taxes

Tonight, I’m doing something I absolutely hate.  My husband and I are working on a budget.  I imagine that most of you feel the same way. It’ kind of like taxes and doctors, we dislike them and breathe a sigh of relief when they are done. Truth be told; we really don’t enjoy working on a budget at all.  Yet it is one of the necessary components in knowing exactly how much you have and what you can spend. If indeed we are responsible to God for how we handle the resources that God has given us, then we need a clear picture. One piece of the puzzle that can bring the whole puzzle into focus is a budget.  It allows you to see and compare what you spend with what you have.  Sometimes as I’ve done a budget and looked at what I saw, I could see that the problem was little things that add up.  I realized that the problem was that I forgot the advice I had been given long ago, little things add up.  As we do a budget, we often see little things th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rest For Your Soul

Tonight was such a beautiful sunny night that I decided to go for a walk and enjoy the warm summer sun before another wave of rain hits.  As I cranked up my music and headed out.  I could not help but praise God for the area in which I live.   I, quite literally, live 5 minutes from a small town.   If I want to walk, I can walk down deserted country roads without driving at all.  Yes, I am incredibly blessed.  I saw baby bunnies eating grass by the edge of the road and talked with the most friendly Jersey cows.  They always walk over to the edge of the fence as I walk by nodding their heads in greeting.   There was a deer, in a hurry to catch up with his “deer” friends I suppose.  There were daisies and buttercups, apple trees by the edge of the road and a creek that floods at least once during the spring.  I also occasionally see a very friendly donkey and a few horses who always come to the edge of the fence hoping I have sugar for...
Post a Comment
Read more