Reason #671
Christmas is one month away. I have yet to put up a single decoration or buy any gifts. Aaron and I have gone back and forth on whether or not we'll put up a tree this year. I don't know why, but I've lost my desire for festive decorations. I think they are adorable, and I love them, but I don't want to put them up. I would like to wave a festive wand around the house and let it decorate itself. Honestly, I feel a little guilty about this thanks to all of my crafty friends who are ahead of the season. Age and experience can sure change your perspectives, and it is interesting at how much mine have changed.
Here's the thing, I think we get way to wrapped up in the hype of the holidays that we end up just stressing ourselves out with details. And, if it's not in the details, it's in the bank account. I realize I am probably sounding a bit like Scrooge right now, but if you think about it, the original holidays were quite simple. They were not focused on the perfect table settings, the ornaments, stockings, gifts, or themed meals. No, these holidays were true celebrations of gratitude and joy. Simplistic but memorable none the less. Holidays with intentions that are completely lost now. Because poor Thanksgiving gets overshadowed by Black Friday and Christmas, and poor Christmas loses its name more and more each year as Santa gets bigger and the manger becomes rejected.
I read a really heartbreaking story today. You probably did, too, if you read any of the news. But a particular headline caught my eye, and I was so discouraged to read about how Pastor Saeed, who has been in an Iranian prison for almost two years now, was left on his own when the possible chance for freedom arose. Because had things gone the way His family and friends had been praying for, this man would have been reunited with his family. He would have been able to celebrate the holidays with them this year. But that won't be happening because help was not offered when the opportunity was presented.
This is where I struggle with the holidays. Because when you've walked through your first devastating holiday, they really aren't the same from then on. You see things in a new light. Presents don't take away the sting, and no amount of yummy food makes it any better. But we do a good job of trying our best to cover it up. We sink ourselves into the crafts and parties, celebrating for all the wrong reasons. Hiding the truth, the real issues, with a pretty façade so that we don't have to deal with it. We hope no one else will notice, either. And so we all walk around blinded by sale signs and sparkly lights, forgetting the real reason the holidays came about in the first place.
This Thanksgiving will be difficult for some. Christmas won't be merry and bright for all of us. But, like Ann Voscamp said, in her book titled One Thousand Gifts, "Thanksgiving precedes the miracle." And maybe that's what we need to spend our thanksgiving doing this year. Thanking God for the miracle He sent. For the fact that He made it so plain and simple. He didn't hide it in wrapping paper or dress it up with bows and ribbons so that we weren't really sure what this gift was. No, He did a miraculous thing and sent His son so that we don't have to live with broken hearts forever. That pain and suffering will come to an end. That joy will be made complete. The miracle that began thousands of years ago is what we should be most grateful for, no matter how good or bad our lives seem to be.
The holidays are a really beautiful time, and I always look forward to them. But maybe this Thanksgiving we should focus a little less on the ads and a little more on Jesus. And maybe, as Christmas approaches, we forget more about Santa and become more aware of the manger. Because when we seek truth, and when we truly have hearts of thanksgiving, God will do miraculous things before a watching world.
#671 - For God's miracles.
"For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth." - Daniel 6:26-27
Here's the thing, I think we get way to wrapped up in the hype of the holidays that we end up just stressing ourselves out with details. And, if it's not in the details, it's in the bank account. I realize I am probably sounding a bit like Scrooge right now, but if you think about it, the original holidays were quite simple. They were not focused on the perfect table settings, the ornaments, stockings, gifts, or themed meals. No, these holidays were true celebrations of gratitude and joy. Simplistic but memorable none the less. Holidays with intentions that are completely lost now. Because poor Thanksgiving gets overshadowed by Black Friday and Christmas, and poor Christmas loses its name more and more each year as Santa gets bigger and the manger becomes rejected.
I read a really heartbreaking story today. You probably did, too, if you read any of the news. But a particular headline caught my eye, and I was so discouraged to read about how Pastor Saeed, who has been in an Iranian prison for almost two years now, was left on his own when the possible chance for freedom arose. Because had things gone the way His family and friends had been praying for, this man would have been reunited with his family. He would have been able to celebrate the holidays with them this year. But that won't be happening because help was not offered when the opportunity was presented.
This is where I struggle with the holidays. Because when you've walked through your first devastating holiday, they really aren't the same from then on. You see things in a new light. Presents don't take away the sting, and no amount of yummy food makes it any better. But we do a good job of trying our best to cover it up. We sink ourselves into the crafts and parties, celebrating for all the wrong reasons. Hiding the truth, the real issues, with a pretty façade so that we don't have to deal with it. We hope no one else will notice, either. And so we all walk around blinded by sale signs and sparkly lights, forgetting the real reason the holidays came about in the first place.
This Thanksgiving will be difficult for some. Christmas won't be merry and bright for all of us. But, like Ann Voscamp said, in her book titled One Thousand Gifts, "Thanksgiving precedes the miracle." And maybe that's what we need to spend our thanksgiving doing this year. Thanking God for the miracle He sent. For the fact that He made it so plain and simple. He didn't hide it in wrapping paper or dress it up with bows and ribbons so that we weren't really sure what this gift was. No, He did a miraculous thing and sent His son so that we don't have to live with broken hearts forever. That pain and suffering will come to an end. That joy will be made complete. The miracle that began thousands of years ago is what we should be most grateful for, no matter how good or bad our lives seem to be.
The holidays are a really beautiful time, and I always look forward to them. But maybe this Thanksgiving we should focus a little less on the ads and a little more on Jesus. And maybe, as Christmas approaches, we forget more about Santa and become more aware of the manger. Because when we seek truth, and when we truly have hearts of thanksgiving, God will do miraculous things before a watching world.
#671 - For God's miracles.
"For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth." - Daniel 6:26-27
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