How many of you feel as if you are in a whirlwind and wonder when you are going to stop spinning? I tell you...it seems each Christmas season gets busier and busier! I keep looking at the calendar thinking to myself, "When is it going to slow down?" "When am I even going to have the opportunity to stop for a minute?"
I think the rampages in stores this year, the killing of a person from being just plowed over, the pregnancy lady who got trampled on shows that we are just a VERY greedy people who have totally lost our focus of why we are even celebrating (and why we are exhausted) this time of year! I keep mentioning to my husband how one year I'd like to just go to the mountains around Christmas time or Gatlinburg to get a cabin and 'escape' all this rush, rush, rush, rush, rush! If I'm not careful, I will be so busy and forget the reason for why I am so busy---some of it legit and some I think could be skipped but anyways!
I'd like for us to just reflect a moment and remind ourselves of some things I am sure each of us already know but if you are like me, the hustle and bustle of it all overwhelms me to the point I FORGET and even NEGLECT to focus on the REASON FOR THE SEASON! We have no reason to celebrate if we neglect the real reason of Christmas!
C - Celebrate the real reason for the season...Keep Christ In CHRISTmas
I remember growing up one year I helped my mom make out Christmas cards. Now I went to a public school so I was use to seeing X-mas on the boards, bulletin boards, signs etc! So after doing a few MERRY CHRISTMAS cards, I just thought, "My hand is hurting so let's shorten this thing...Merry X-Mas!" I remember my mom letting me know that that's not how we write Merry Christmas! See Christmas without Christ....X-mas...then there is no CHRISTmas! Be careful. Oh it's such a tiny detail, but I believe that after all Christ has done for us...it's not that much to just go ahead and write 6 letters in front of the 'mas' to make sure we keep CHRIST in our Christmas card greetings!
And don't fall into the Happy Holidays mode of greeting rather than just "Merry Christmas". While going into Wal-Mart the other day, the man ringing the bell for the Salvation Army was loudly saying "Merry Christmas"...I really wanted to go up to him and say "Thank you for saying that instead of the 'politically correct' Happy Holidays, Seasons Greeting"! Make it a point to let others know it's MERRY CHRISTMAS and not just Happy Holidays!
H - Home Filled With Wonderful Christ Centered Christmas Music
Okay, is there anything wrong with Jingle Bells? I'm Dreaming of A White Christmas? Let It Snow? Frosty The Snowman? NO! NO! NO! BUT if that's all your Christmas music is consumed with...then you may want to do a checkup! We have a kids CD with a few songs such as those listed above....BUT I have MORE CHRIST centered Christmas music than Jingle Bells! I play MORE of the CHRIST centered music than the other. Like yesterday, we played the kids CD then I put on some other music! Get you a few good CHRIST centered CD's...it helps us put our focus back where it belongs during the busy CHRISTmas season.
R - Remember To Worship
Our pastor just done a series on Family Worship. It was just so GOOD! How many of you ladies regularly sit in church and think "Okay, what are we going to do for lunch today? I've still got to pack for our trip! Don't forget this and that...I better write that down before I forget that!"...when our FOCUS should be on worshipping not on our "TO DO LIST" for that day or the next week. I'll have to be honest, it's like when I am at home not too many things come to my mind but you let us be putting together our next Young at Heart meeting for the next week...and BOOM! all sorts of ideas come to be during church service. Remember to WORSHIP! Put all else aside and spend time WORSHIPPING!!! He is worthy of our TIME OF WORSHIP...so make it all HIS!
I - Invite Lost Loved Ones and Neighbors To Special Christmas Programs
People are more apt to take you up on an invite if you invite them to some church Christmas program rather than just a 'normal' church service...right or wrong that's a fact! Get them in those doors...they may not be expecting to hear the gospel but they will hear it if your church is Christ-centered in all they do. Last night our children had their Christmas program. In short, it was about a lady who wasn't a Christian she owned a toy store. At Christmas she would put out this life size nativity set but this year she had misplaced the baby Jesus. Being unsaved, she didn't really see the big deal about not having the baby Jesus in the manger but once the little children would come by and ask "Where's the baby?" and others would come in making a comment and various other events...her eyes were opened to why that's THE REASON FOR THE SEASON! It was a very touching story!
I plan today to make platters of cookies to take to our neighbors. We don't have the best relationship with either neighbor on both sides of us (makes it very interesting) BUT I am going to show some kindness -- and slip a Christmas gospel tract in -- with that platter of goodies! If it's like the past, we may go out and find the tract in our driveway or the little boy may make a comment to our girls while outside playing...BUT I have to remember what God has called us to do...plant the seed! That's my responsibility! You never know...this may be the year that seed brings forth fruit!
S - Set Up A Nativity Scene
I love snowmen! I love gingerbread! BUT I must make room for the nativity set! My mom got me a really nice one several years ago. It's individual pieces so this year I thought...I am going to get it out and put it on my table. WELL...no sooner than I put it out, one piece fell over and broke! (Little hands were too interested in it) SO...this year I went with one my mom also got me that is one piece...hard to describe but it's really pretty! My mom and dad have a nice nativity scene in their front yard. My dad has built a special little barn to put this in and has the hay and everything...looks really neat and the girls love going out to it! Keep the nativity scene in your Christmas! It's a reminder to me as I see it under our tree...that's the REASON FOR THE SEASON!
T - Traditions Centered Around Christ
I've always wanted to bake a birthday cake for Jesus but normally our Christmas is going to this side of the family to the others and trying to make time lines...a little stressful at times! My parents usually have my husband read the Christmas story before opening gifts! Oh it's exciting to see the kids open their gifts...it's exciting to give our gifts...it's exciting to receive gifts...BUT to just take a moment to get our focus back on Christ is a special time! My uncle who isn't saved, doesn't go to church, believes he's good enough, HEARS the Christmas story and why we celebrate Christmas...a reminder to him that there is SOMEONE He needs! Maybe this year will be the year my uncle gets saved.
I think it would be neat on Christmas Day...as busy as the day may be...to just slip off to a quiet place during personal devotions and just write down on a piece of paper YOUR gift to Christ for the coming year -- more time in God's Word, more witnessing for Him, more involved in a ministry -- what would your gift to HIM be this year?
The NUMBER ONE way to keep Jesus Christ in your Christmas celebration is to have HIM present in your daily life! Do YOU know the CHRIST of CHRISTmas? or are you merely going through the commercialism of the season without a reason to even celebrate? Upon salvation, the Christmas season will take on a whole new meaning. That void will be filled and you'll have a REAL REASON TO CELEBRATE THE SEASON OF CHRISTMAS! I pray you'll accept Christ today as your Saviour if you've never done so. Salvation would be the greatest gift you'd receive this Christmas if you're not saved! If you'd like to know more about salvation, you may post a comment and I'll get in contact with you via email. I will not post the comment to this site!
MERRY CHRISTmas and HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
We are getting ready to go be with our family so if you'd pray for safe traveling and that we'd reach our lost family for Christ this Christmas season...what a wonderful gift that would be to see them saved!
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