Receiving “THE Gift”
That face you make when you receive the perfect gift^^
Warning: I am going to be talking about Jesus. If that’s your thing, stay! If it’s not your thing, I still encourage you to stay. You may get something out of this though, whether you believe in Christ or not. If you do not feel like it, I am not going to force it down your throat. You do you. I am just going to explain why I celebrate Christmas personally. My faith is essential to my mental health. It is what gives me hope and a greater sense of purpose. Self promo: if you want to find out more about discovering your purpose, look the blog post “Answering Your Calling”. Anyways, in case you were wondering why I talk about the man in the sky so much, that’s why. He is what I believe in. I encourage each and everyone one of you to find out what or who you believe in. Establishing your beliefs can be a crucial part of your life and how you live it. So after that long explanation, let’s get started.
I think we all get so caught up in everything that comes with Christmas- decorating the house with lights and all, buying the perfect gift for those you love while simultaneously trying to get the best deal on it, making sure you have all the ingredients for “THE Christmas meal”, keeping all the special traditions alive, etc. We forget at its essence what Christmas is all about. We are so focused on the hubbub of the Christmas season that soon Christmas becomes so busy for us to even stop and realize what lies at the center of it. When compared to what Christmas has become about nowadays, the story of a baby boy born in a humble manager seems all so simple. While everything around us is so busy changing and becoming complex, this story of the arrival of Christ stays the same for all of time. When people say that Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, etc. are becoming all about consumerism, materialism, and commercialism. I’m not going to say that I disagree. I fall victim to forgetting about why we celebrate such things in the first place.
For example, I was working a retreat at my church camp. This retreat was specifically called the Advent retreat, meaning it focused on the season of advent and celebrating the coming of Christ’s birth. It was for 1st-5th graders. We were playing a game where they had to run to a corner that represented their favorite part of Christmas. Of course, they had to ask first, “Whose favorite part of Christmas are the presents?” Sadly but naturally, ⅗ of the children run to that corner. Then they continue to follow with the other 3 corners, which were spending time with family, singing Christmas carols, and going to church. As we continue, less and less kids go to each one until there are only 2 children at the corner for going to church.
Luckily, I have a redeeming example too. I was in charge of teaching 7 first graders a Bible study about the Advent wreath. I asked them what do you see in the front of your church when it is Christmas time? Three of the children kept repeating Christmas trees. I was thinking in my head, “Yes. I get it. Cool. Got the point. Say something different please.” One child said blue banners. Two said wreaths. Then finally, this sweet little boy said Advent candles in a wreath. I then asked, “Does anyone know what Advent means?” One child said it meant Jesus. I said, “Yes, in a way. It means the season we celebrate in church for Jesus’ birth. Each candle means something different.” I asked them to guess what they stood for. Working together, they did it! The candles mean hope, peace, joy, love, and Christ. I think if first graders can remember why Christmas is celebrated in the first place, then we can take time to remember it too.
Yesterday, I went to the Christmas Eve service at my church. My pastor was giving a message about how the greatest gift of all is Christ but how sometimes we forget to pick up that gift and bring it into our day-to-day lives. That gift may get overshadowed by other such gifts which seem more important or better at the time. Therefore, this gift which is the greatest of all gifts ends up getting left behind. We essentially walk away from it and move onto the next thing in our lives. Likewise, we do this daily when it comes to God. It is like He is apart of our checklist. Go to church this week: check. Pray to God at dinner: check. Do your morning devotion: check. Yet, we forget why we even want to do these things in the first place. They soon become a chore or hassle instead of a want and desire. So, I ask you to be honest with yourself. Do you intentionally want to have a relationship with Him, or are you just getting your daily dosage of God out of the way? Are you taking steps to know Him and grow with Him alongside you, or are you saying that you’ve taken more than enough time for God this day, week, month, or even year? Is God the center of your life, or are you? I know that I often do my own thing and then try to find room for God when I can. This is so terribly wrong. I should not have to make room for God! God should be what everything else in my life revolves around. Every intention, action, or purpose that I make should be done in the name of Christ. I am far from getting this right, and I know I probably will never do everything with Christ in the fore-frame of my mind. That is an extremely difficult task to do, and I am imperfect. Yet, I do know that I am taking steps from making Him at the back of my mind to the front of my mind. He is becoming more than just a reminder in my life. He is becoming a constant. I am learning more each day that Jesus is the reason not only for the season, but for my life entirely. As cheesy and cliche as that sounds, I mean it nonetheless.
So whoever or whatever you believe, faith or religion you identify with, beliefs you hold, I want you to simply ask yourself why? Questioning yourself is a good thing. It keeps yourself in check. It reestablishes the point of why you do the things you do or believe in what you do. It challenges you to grow, to have an outward and unbiased perspective, to be humble.
