Wednesday, December 22, 2010

A Christmas Message to Unbelievers

This morning I am feeling a little bit irritated, and I felt I had to put my thoughts out there for the world to see. Here goes:




I have heard a lot of comments over the last few years from people who feel that Christmas is just a shopping, present giving, Santa Clause pagan holiday. In fact, there are some who say they really want to get into the Christmas spirit and decorate their house. When asked, will you be putting up a nativity, they say, "Oh, no. We don't get into all that." I heard a statistic on the radio from Focus on the Family yesterday that said 80% of Christians who say they celebrate Christmas and believe they are celebrating Jesus' birth, do not read the Christmas birth story to their family at Christmas. No one disputes that Jesus was a real person who lived on the earth. Though there is dispute for some about how he was born and whether or not he was really the son of God. There is no doubt that he lived and was a man who influenced a lot of people. The same could be said about Socrates, Plato, and Ceasar. Do we celebrate the birth of Socrates, Plato, or Ceasar? Had Jesus not been born and had there not been a Christian who said, "Let's celebrate the birth of Jesus", there would be no Christmas. No matter how you feel about Christians or their story of Jesus as Savior, the fact remains. No one would be giving gifts, decorating the tree, or telling their children that Santa would be coming down the chimney. The bith of Jesus being celebrated, is what sparked all the other Christmas traditions and the pagan traditions that followed. So, if you are not a believer and doubt the birth story of Christ, you are welcome to your opinion. However, your opinion does not change the basis for the holiday and therefore if you enjoy and celebrate Christmas in any way, you should be thankful to Jesus for being born simply because without him, you would not be celebrating anything.



"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God". 1 Corinthians 1:18

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Christmas Miracle

I'm not sure why, but I feel that each writing on my blog should be a literary work of art. If I don't have anything profound to say, I don't want to write anything. The truth is, if I wait until I have something profound to say, I may never write again. Ha! This Christmas has been a rough one. Usually, the day after Thanskgiving, I am putting up the Christmas decorations and blaring the Christmas carols. This year, I didn't get the tree up until mid December. I'm still dragging my feet and feeling like the grinch. I'm really not sure why, but I have some ideas. Christmas is a family affair. Christmas is a time for families to gather and love on one another. I have a wonderful family and am looking forward to going home this Christmas and spending time with them. However, here in my every day life, my family is missing. Its easy to begin feeling sorry for myself and wonder, "Where is my husband? Where are my children?". This year, I celebrated my 35th birthday just before Christmas, and it seems my self pity has grown into a monster this year. The truth is, this life is not about me! It's about eternity, and what I'm doing to bring people to eternity with me. Christmas is about Jesus who came to the world to save us. Jesus came because God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Jesus died on a cross for my life and yours. Christmas is not about trees, decorations, presents, and Santa. Christmas is about the greatest mircale that every occured and will ever occur. If I can just remeber to keep myself focused on Him, I won't be able to feel sorry for myself any longer.