Through the years, as we get older, it seems that the way we look at Christmas begins to change. As a child, we're so enamored with the magic of it all. A lovable man with a flowing white beard and a soft red suit spends the entire year preparing for one night. He, along with his mythical reindeer, make the rounds and visit every child in the world in the course of just a few hours. Not a single one is forgotten. He represents hope and love and joy like some children really never get a chance to experience. As a child, the concept of Santa Claus and the happiness he brings is just too wonderful not to believe.
When we get a little older and begin to grasp the reality of Santa, we shift our focus from receiving the most wonderful gifts to becoming a form of the big man ourselves. Then we transition into the one who gets to be the giver. It's a little difficult but, when you begin to really understand the meaning behind all of the tradition, it's really, really wonderful. If you're brought up in a Christian home, one where the Bible is read and the stories within it are always floating around, Christmas already has such an incredible significance. Adding to it this selfless act of love just reiterates what we've already been taught, "It's better to give than to receive".
Becoming an adult, it can be so hard to cling to the innocence of this magical season. When you're faced with the harsh realities of real life and see first hand that Christmas is in fact not the same for everyone, we begin to lose faith in the foundations that made this time of year so wonderful to begin with. How is it, I wonder, that some people cling so desperately to the spirit of Christmas and others cannot find one single thing to be thankful for...
Growing up, my parents always made Christmas such a magical time of year for my sisters and I. They worked hard to make sure we were happy and completely sucked into the entire illusion of Santa Claus. And I am so thankful for it... I don't quite remember when I first began to wonder if he was in fact a real person, living and breathing like you and I. I don't remember the day I stopped believing in him that way. I just kind of slipped into a state of knowing that, even though he wasn't alive in the sense that we were, he did exist. He exists in all of us. We can choose everyday to share our gifts with those around us and give the world a little piece of what it may be missing. But, WE have to choose. No one can make our hearts feel certain things or present Christmas in such a way that we're driven back to the times we had as a child. Back to that innocence of just. knowing.
I'm so thankful that I have the peace that can only come from knowing the Lord. My life is filled with the joy and contentment that only He can supply in a world of constantly needing more. I am blessed. Believe me, I know that. He has given me a warm home. A loving husband. Four amazing children. Job security and a spouse that is a wonderful money manager. He gives us the means to put food in our pantry and socks on our feet. Our sink is often filled with dirty dishes and our laundry room is almost always stacked high with things waiting to be washed. We. have. so. much.
I'm in a constant state of awe of what my Lord has done in my life. He's taken a frustrated, young girl and turned her into a blessed wife and mother. He's given me dear friends and amazing family. He's put peace in my heart where there once was worry and sadness. Guilt and fear. He's been writing my story from the beginning and, it's been really, really good so far. I can't imagine all that He has in store for my future and I don't want to know. Because, if I did, I would most surely mess it up.
Christmas though, is not about all of the stuff we fill our homes with or the money we spend on gifts. It's not about crafting and planning and inviting the whole neighborhood to an annual party. It's not even about seeing all of the loved ones we don't get together with nearly as often as we'd like to. Those are all truly wonderful things and they can be such blessings if we let them be. It's when we place our entire focus and invest all of our joy on those things going exactly right where we run into trouble.
As a child of God, I want to do my very best to carry the true meaning of Christmas with me every single day of my life. I want to show my children what it's like to be happy and content and truly joy filled while living the life HE has planned for me. I may not know what that's going to look like, but I can rest assured that He has only good intentions and He knows what I need every MOMENT.
This Christmas, can we all try a little harder to step back from the hustle and bustle and look a little deeper at the places we're investing ourselves in? I know I want to. Let's just enjoy the things we've been given instead of comparing our life and our circumstances to someone else's. It was Theodore Roosevelt that said, "Comparison is the thief of joy". Oh how true that is...
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