Sunday, January 5, 2014

Reflections of December


Christmas songs have been sung
Decorations were hung
And the day has come and gone

No more knocks at the door
Glitter swept from the floor
But the memories will live on

Light a candle ~  and remember ~  once more ~

The shared moments of bliss
And each mistletoe kiss
Timeless Love born anew in our hearts

May the days we have left
All be seen as a gift
And right now – be the moment we start


December came and went in a blur.
 
Each year as fall begins to fade and the air turns colder, I promise myself that this year things will be different. 

This year, I ponder quietly in my mind, I will not allow the days before Christmas to get filled up to overflowing. I will not allow stress to cause rivers of tears to start flowing, but somehow it seems each year, that promise gets broken along with a little piece of my longing heart.

I long for a Christmas where there is time to be still, to be silent, to be truly focused on the true meaning of Christ-mas, but so many other things tend to get in the way and soon the ways of this world seem to lead the way. 

Somewhere in the middle of December I find the blinking lights, the holly-jolly Christmas music, the buying and baking, decorations and wrappings, all become trappings that tear out the joy that is supposed to be Christmas.

Still, whether I’m ready for it or not, Christmas day comes, though I feel somewhat numb, and actually look forward to it all being over.

When the drying-out tree gets flung to the curb, and the tinsel, and glitter, and bows find their way to the trash, I finally start to feel a little more relaxed, and that’s when I can reflect and find the warmth that was there all along in December.

The much slower pace feels like heaven-sent grace and finally I can see all of the “gifts” that were given and received.
 
The “gifts” are all the moments where hearts were truly connected, where eyes held each other with a smile, and love and laughter spilled into the room. They are the memories made, pictures framed in my mind that will stay long in my heart, time spent with family and friends in the here and now, because we never know what tomorrow will bring. 

We never know what life will look like next December. 

So I will treasure these gifts and never forget that life itself is a gift.

I did not choose to be born, I did not choose my personality or my family, but God chose all of these things for me. He also chose to give me the Greatest Gift ever given. 

The gift of a Savior, through Whom is found eternal life.

The gift of Himself, becoming flesh to dwell among us. The Light of the World sent to light the way home. The baby placed in a wooden feeding trough, willing to place Himself on a wooden cross one day, so that every one of my sins, and yours, could be forgiven.

This is the Greatest Gift.

The Gift that not one of us deserves, but was freely given because,

God. So. Loved. The. World!

This world may try to take Christ out of Christ-mas, but it will never take Christ out of me.

And as Scripture teaches, one day – EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is LORD.

Not just Lord of Christmastime, 

but LORD of ALL times.
 
He is the One who created time itself, Who holds all time in His hands, and Who is coming again when time as we know it will end.

On that day there will be no doubt, that the Christmas story, and every Living Word in the Bible was absolute Truth written by God who wanted us to come to Him,
 
To believe in Him,
 
And be saved.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For God so loved the world 
that He gave His only begotten Son, 
that whoever believes in Him should not perish 
but have everlasting life.
- John 3:16
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No comments:

Post a Comment