Reaching Out

If you have been following our blog for the last three weeks you know that Lisa and I have written on various aspects of the Thanksgiving/Christmas Season. Each week we have tackled the topic of our own personal stress, emotions or physical toll of the holidays and have ended our post with the idea that we cannot lose sight of what this celebration is really about. As I am writing this there is a song playing on the radio titled The Best Gift of All. The message of the song is that the best gift of all is Jesus, not just for Christmas but through the year. Call me emotional but I have tears in my eyes when I hear that. The tears are twofold. They are tears of thankfulness that God loves us so much that through a young virgin girl centuries ago he gave us the miracle of Jesus who made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us. It is the one true thing in life that is free, all that is required is to trust and believe. I have experienced evidence over and over in my lifetime of the result of finding my faith, trust and hope in him. My tears also fall for those who have chosen to reject the gift so graciously given to us by our creator. They enjoy the time off work, parties and gift giving but do not truly understand or believe in the very thing they are celebrating.

What a perfect time for me to show people Jesus, the one whose birth we are celebrating. Does that mean I wear a sandwich board, stand on the street corner and condemn to hell those who do not believe? Absolutely not! It means I show them Jesus through my actions and attitudes, through kindness, grace and giving. It means that instead of condemning I show Gods grace and love simply by loving unconditionally and praying daily for them. Do I do this just at Christmas time? No it is how my life should be conducted at all times through the year. Have I attained perfection in doing this? Well I would like to answer a yes to that question but I admit I have blown it at times, but what is so awesome about having a relationship with God is that he forgives and understands when we get so caught up in ourselves that we temporarily forget. That my friend is grace.

So along with all the fun celebrations, the laughter and joy of Christmas morning I must keep in the forefront of my mind that this is really about the most wonderful gift that is available to all people, no matter your race, whether you are male, female, young or old. That through rough economies, change of life and some of the boulders in the road that God, his son Jesus and the Holy Spirit are always there to bring me peace and give me the tools to keep moving forward in this journey we call life. My desire is that during this season and throughout the whole year those who I come in contact with will be able to see evidence through my actions of what a relationship with God truly is. That it is good. It is safe. It is free. That it brings joy and peace like no other. That you can get through anything when your dependency is on him.

I pray joy and peace to each of you during this most wonderful time of the year!

As I glance at my calendar, I can tell already that this week is full and will be busy. Isn’t that just the way the holidays are? We allow ourselves to pack our days, nights, and weekends full of festive activities. For the most part I love it! I really enjoy spending time with my friends and my family, but it can be overwhelming too.

I have several goals this Christmas. One, as I’ve mentioned before, is to focus on the true meaning of Christmas, and make sure that my three year-old understands as best as she can that we are celebrating Jesus’ birthday. Another goal that I would like to achieve this year is to remember those outside my “circle”. I don’t know about you, but I have neighbors that I barely know. Granted, we just moved into our neighborhood, and just yesterday another family moved into a house on our street, but what a great opportunity to reach outside my safe group of friends, and allow myself to reach out to those around me. I know that all too often I turn inward during December because there is so much to be done for me and for my family. But, who am I missing on the outside? Who is hurting around me? I’m not saying that I’ll be inviting each neighbor over, one by one, for dinner. What I will do is make up a plate of cookies and deliver them with my family, making sure that we spend more than a “hi” and “goodbye” with our new community.

Yes, this is the “most wonderful time of the year”, but it’s arguably the busiest time as well. When we get busy, relationships around us can suffer. So, this year, I’m determined to look outward and be Christ-like, not only to my loved ones, but to those around me. Maybe a few new friendships will develop over a plate of tasty Christmas treats!