A RENEWED JOY IN CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS!

The past two mornings, I woke up with that burning urge to write again. Seasons of silence sometimes last a while on this blog, but I always know when I'm being prompted to write, even if it's just for my own thoughts, and no one comes back to read here.

While this title may seem strange, it has great meaning in my own heart. I feel God has opened my eyes and given me a renewed sense of joy this Christmas season, something I have been greatly lacking the past several years. My desire is to honor the Lord in all things, and I had heard and read and become confused by this debate over whether Christians should or should not celebrate Christmas. Fear of doing something that didn't honor God crept in, and the past couple of years, I have not had peace. Joy was lacking in every aspect of the holiday for me, because the enemy had brought great confusion. I now realize, however, that I had taken my eyes off the gospel and put them on my own ability to please the Lord in my own efforts and attempted righteousness. Anytime I do this, my joy is quickly gone.

I didn't have joy in purchasing gifts for others, because giving gifts was participating in the methods of the culture. Cutting a tree and decorating it with all the memorable ornaments from years past was a struggle as well, because I had heard Christmas trees called an "idol" on multiple occasions. I have so many joy-filled memories of Christmastime in the past, but I had fear that I was somehow offending God in the process of celebrating this holiday, so I fearfully did them with drudgery because I knew God hadn't asked me to stop, but was uncertain how to move forward. My attitude and focus was wrong.

So, I asked the Lord for clarity. I shared my heart with Him, letting Him know how I longed to please Him, but was uncertain during this season what blessed Him and what didn't. I feel this year He has answered me.

It's all about HIM. Every day is about HIM! In recognizing that, I also realized that there are days that we set aside to celebrate individuals and other accomplishments -- birthdays, graduations, etc. Christmas is simply a time that we set aside to reflect on and celebrate the birth of Christ, which is completely intertwined with the cross and our salvation. Yes, I rejoice everyday in the gift of salvation, but there is nothing wrong with having a specific celebration time for celebrating the birth of Christ, regardless of whatever else was celebrated in the pagan world on this same day.

A story involving my youngest daughter will bring better clarity. We were around some children one evening, when one young child came up to her and asked her if we were getting a Christmas tree. She responded by saying that we were planning to get one. This child's response to her was, "Christmas trees are idols".... what she later told me her reply was blew me away and spoke volumes to my own heart. I saw wisdom beyond her 9 years of age coming out of her. She said, "Christmas trees COULD be an idol, but they are not in our home. We simply use it as a beautiful decoration to celebrate Jesus' birthday." She got it! Just like any other thing in this world can quickly become an idol, so can any aspect of Christmas, OR, we can use the joys of the Christmas season to draw our eyes more clearly to Christ and deepen our love and walk with Him! Depending on which angle we take, and where our focus lies, determines whether or not we bring glory to God or grieve Him in the process. It's not about what we do, it's all about WHO we do it for.

This conversation my nine year old had happened before the Christmas season was truly upon us, and I feel the Lord used it to give me a new focus this year. Cutting our tree down was, as always is, a great adventure for our family! For as long as I can remember, we take our kids to the mountains, trudge through the snow and pick a usually rather ugly tree to take home and decorate. This year, I saw it with a whole new perspective. The memories we make on those adventures, the relationships we are building, and the conversations we have with our children will be there for a life-time. Our desire and focus is to use every activity with our children as an opportunity to point them to the love of Jesus and His great and glorious gospel.

Pointing out the one at the TOP!

 

ALWAYS an adventure! :)

My precious family....

God created Christmas trees. Trees, made by HIM, were used to hold His tiny body in the manger, carry Him on a boat as He did ministry, and ultimately hold Him as He bore God's wrath for my sin. These are the types of conversations we have when decorating and talking about a Christmas tree. We desire to always point to Christ. While we love to celebrate any birthday, celebrating Jesus' birthday is an extra special occasion that we go through weeks of preparing for! He is the most worthy to be celebrated, and as I heard and have meditated on over and over again this Christmas season, celebrating the birth of Christ is celebrating the "beginning of the rescue!" It is the start of God's plan to rescue us from sin, hell and the grave. What a wonderful reason to celebrate and find joy!

Of all people, we as believers, have the most reason to have JOY in celebrating Christmas. Yes, many others have wrong motives in celebrating this holiday, but I have determined not to let what Satan has tried to use to remove the focus off Christ to destroy my joy in celebrating! Even if others do it wrong, I can have the right focus, which is gratefulness to God for sending Jesus! Was Christ actually born on Dec. 25th? Most likely not, but does that mean that we cannot still celebrate His birth? Absolutely not! No one knows the exact day. I am so grateful God sent Jesus, and I choose to celebrate with JOY, knowing this is the day believers set aside to do just that!

I enjoyed purchasing gifts this year. It was fun!! As believers, we are called to GIVE! If it takes a holiday to cause me to pause from the normal busyness of life and think about the preciousness and uniqueness of my nieces and nephews that I rarely get to see, and bless them because I love them, then I am thankful for the prompting of a holiday to do that! As long as I am not overspending, or walking in greed or jealousy, then I will find joy in giving gifts to others!

Our Christmas cards this year were birth announcements for a KING!

I love the inside verse...

"She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21

The purpose of the birth is the salvation of His people.

"Pilate therefore said to Him, 'Are You a King then?' Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a King. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." John 18:37

I celebrate Christmas with joy this year! The rescue for our souls could not have happened without the birth of this King! What a reason we have to celebrate! I thank God with every fiber within me that Jesus came to this earth to rescue me. What a reason to take a season aside to celebrate in special ways. I also thank Him for answering my prayers...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Emmanuel! God has come to rescue us!