Thursday, December 5, 2013

A Merry Christmas Memory

My most memorable Christmas still lives vividly in my mind. It got cold enough where I grew up in South Texas for an occasional fire in the fireplace. But we didn’t have a fireplace. This particular Christmas, my dad wanted to surprise my mother with a new fireplace in our den. He wanted to build a fire in the new fireplace on Christmas Day too, so us boys had to chop and store firewood – without my mother knowing. We began a month before Christmas cutting down old trees and trimming overgrown trees, hiding the wood at a location away from our home, as to not to ruin the surprise. All the secrecy was worth it, my mother was truly surprised! She enjoyed every minute of warming up by the nice warm fire that Christmas Day.

Being a part of that special gift made the season extra special for me. It sticks out in my mind because nothing about the gift was usual –not the way it was given or the preparing for its use. Christmas comes every 365 days on December 25th , we can count on that. I hope you spend as much time preparing for the birth of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, as you do preparing for parties, gift exchanges, traditions, and other things that fight for our attention. Remember, Jesus is the most important reason why we celebrate Christmas, not Santa Clause and his elves.

Take time this Christmas season to celebrate who Jesus is in your life. Take time to start a new tradition of pausing and seeking the Lord, much like the magi did long ago. Remember Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” I challenge you to write down how much time you spend shopping, decorating, partying, watching football, and cooking…and spend an equal amount of time alone with God. I know when you take time out of your busy schedule to reflect on the reason for the season, this Christmas will be more memorable than any other.

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