People always call me out on my love of the grinch. Really, I love him because when he saw the true meaning of Christmas his heart swelled 3 sizes. I love how he became part of the story rather than trying to rob the people of their joy like he was originally trying to do.
For me, Christmas has always been about family. The gifts under the tree are secondary to the love we have for each other. We have had years that were abundant and years that were slim, but none of that matters if you don't have people around you who love you and care for your future.
Jesus is the reason for the season, but even more, He is a symbol of unconditional love. God sent Him as the sacrifice for all of our sins. He tells us in Romans 3:10-12, and 23
“No one is righteous—not even one. No one
is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have
become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” ... For everyone
has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. But He goes on in John 3:16 to tell us "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
I am so thankful to God for His gift to us. Aren't you?
It is so easy to get caught up in the commercialization of Christmas. These days we even have to deal with people who don't like the word Christmas and fight to have it removed from our vocabulary. I find all of this to be so sad.
Each year, the community comes together through various programs to support families in need and make sure their kids have Christmas. Some even sacrifice their own gifts to help others. This warms my heart. Occasionally, we have a family who is not happy with their gifts, seems ungrateful, or wants more than we generally provide. This can be discouraging and take away from the true meaning and reason fro what we do. There are so many families who are grateful and who are just thrilled about how the community supports them. In our program, we get to pray for them as well as provide them with gifts and food. This year, 8 people professed a belief in Christ for the first time. This is what Christmas is about.
As we look forward to 2014, my prayer for you is that you have been open to receiving God's greatest gift, and if you have not; that you will be.
Be blessed in 2014 and beyond.
Sandi
