THAT is what Christmas is.
Or is it? I don't see any of that here in America. I mean, maybe you'll hear it in churches on Christmas Eve (at least I hope so!) but in general, here in America Christmas has become something different.
Christmas's definition in the dictionary is this:
The annual festival of the Christian church commemorating the birth of Jesus: celebrated on December 25 and now generally observed as a legal holiday and an occasion for exchanging gifts.
As you can see, it began as the time of year when we celebrate Christ's birth, "and now" it has turned into a legal holiday for exchanging gifts. Do you smell what I'm stepping in? I smell something that has come and defiled this amazing day in which a Savior was born. A day where the God of the universe became human to get on our level in the ultimate grand gesture of Love. This is the day where Christ was born, to save us from our sins. And we are focusing on an Elf on a shelf.
Ok now before you stop reading because you think I'm a scrooge here to make you feel bad please don't. That is not me. I love Christmas time, I love the lights and the decorating, the gifts and even Santa. BUT God has taught me something this year. And He did it by taking away our financial security.
You see, my daughter had her first dental appointment and we were told (and shown on X-rays) that she had 8 cavities, 2 of which needed baby root canals and silver crowns. In order to get all this work done, the best option was iv sedation, just knock her out and get it all done in an hour. After much prayer, advice, research and deliberation we decided to go with that option. Problem was, it would cost $550 out of pocket for the anesthesiologist. The cost of the actual dental work could be set up on a payment plan. So we had to save up $550 in an envelope to be paid on Dec 7th. Goodbye Christmas fund! Oh and by the way, God also called me out in faith to quit my job in childcare. Whhhaaatttt???
So it is safe to say, that we had 2 choices: obey what the Lord was calling us to do and have faith He would provide, or ignore Him, go our own way and suffer the consequences.
The choice was simple, it was the faith that was difficult! I had moments of emotional breakdown, spiritual weakness, and mental worry, but as I cried out to the Lord, He showed up.
One quick story of that was after I had quit my job and the last payday came I told God, "You have to show me how you are going to provide, because all I want to do is find a job and start earning money again. How are we going to have money for groceries after this?? And christmas??" I had just put in my Walmart grocery order for their pick up service and there would be no more money left for the following week's groceries. I was kind of freaking out but I said "I don't know how You're going to do it, but I trust you God." Then I went and picked up my order and drove home. As I unloaded my groceries I noticed that on top of my order there was more and more food that I never ordered! There was a chuck roast, sausages, carrots, grapes, salad, 2 packages of bacon..I can go on. So I called Walmart and let them know that I must've gotten someone else's order with mine, and that I could bring it back for them later on in the day. They apologized, thanked me for the call and agreed that I should bring it back at my earliest convenience. So I put the bags in the fridge and got out my Bible for my daily reading time. Within 30 minutes I got a call back from the manager thanking me for letting them know about the mix up, saying they restocked the order for the other customer, and that as a reward for my honesty they wanted me to keep the extra groceries. !!
How GOOD is our God??? I literally asked Him how He was going to provide groceries and He showed me in one day. Now I know that won't happen every time, but He wanted to give me a taste of what a good Father and provider He is. I knew in that moment that everything was going to be ok. So even though we had no money for food or Christmas gifts in the coming weeks, I knew GOD would provide.
And He has. He has provided extra photography jobs for me and He has used different family members to bless us with gifts for the kids and food for the table. My husband even won a gift card at work for the movies the day after I told him I miss going to the movies! God even cares about the little things!
As we continue to TRUST Him He will not let us down. I trust He is going to bless my photography business so that I can be faithful to His calling for me yet also provide for the family. We feel so blessed because we have been shown what Christmas is all about. It's about HIM. It's about Jesus and what He did for us when He came to save the world…but it's also about how He provides for us EVERYDAY. And that if we make Him the FOCUS every single day He honors and blesses that!
So this is our tree this year.
So my letter to you today is not from a scrooge, it's from a sinner saved by grace who has seen the wonders of His love, and wants to remind you to give Him the glory He deserves this season, and everyday of your life. Don't get distracted by what the world says Christmas is. I challenge you to make a Jesus banner with your kids as well! Hang it under, on or around your tree as a constant reminder of what we are really celebrating this time of year. #Jesusisthereason
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Luke 2:8-20 ESV
No comments:
Post a Comment