Anticipating Christmas

I can remember Black Friday shopping as a child and later, a young parent. As a child, I grew up in a very modest household. There were some Christmas days when gifts were homemade and few. I didn't realize how little we had because I had so much love in my home. Love was what my childish heart craved more than things. That was why I never noticed lack because what I truly needed was not lacking. As I grew older, on a good year, we would rise before the crack of dawn to stand in a line in frigid temperatures to claim a J.C. Penny's Christmas ornament. Inside the ornament was a coupon for either a discount or gift certificate for purchases that day. When you're on a severe budget, that discount was the difference between little Christmas and gifts under the tree. We chose the stores with the best sales and continued the process by sale priority. It became a special tradition. My mom would send my father for a newspaper with sale ads the day before, and we would anticipate the early day. As I grew, the same need existed. I was a young parent of four small children, staying at home with my children. With one income, we knew a Christmas of gifts were dependent on the Black Friday sales. We would visit my parents and wake the whole household for Christmas shopping. My husband would strap two baby backpacks with twins to him and push a baby stroller with my youngest. He looked like a daddy rockstar in the mall. He got so many high fives from other fathers as he braved the crowds to let me shop for my kids. Now, as I've aged, the drive for sales is not as necessary as when I was older. We've chosen a more modest Christmas in order to focus on what matters- Christmas and love. Are you anticipating Christ as much as sales? Do you search for His presence as much as you search for sales? Are you willing to wait for Christ like you wait for deals? Will you rise early to meet Him? This season, anticipate Christ in your life more than sales and decorations. Let Christ be the center of your Christmas!

Have a great week high-heeled warriors!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

After Brain Surgery

Image
  On the 26th of June, my daughter celebrated 7 years past brain surgery when she had her left hippocampus and amygdala removed. Due to chronic and frequent seizures, we faced a decision no parents want to make. Do we let her continue on maximum medication that didn't work and see her eventually lose more and more brain function or have the surgery and lose part of her brain but possibly become seizure-free? We fully believed in God's ability to heal, but we also recognized that He showed His faithfulness in the storm, not just stopping the storm. So we prayed. For weeks, I prayed for wisdom and God's direction. When we met with her neurologist, my daughter stepped up and said she had peace about the surgery, so we proceeded. The neurosurgeon, who happened to move to our state from Boston just 2 years before, was highly skilled and had mastered the exact procedure that would be needed to help heal my daughter. He performed the surgery with no complications. Now, seven year...
Read more

Leaving a Lasting Impact

Image
  This was a hard weekend. A dear lady who has attended our church for the seventeen years we have pastored died. We held her funeral on Saturday. When we moved to our church, our children were all very little. Both sets of grandparents lived hours away, and I felt very much on my own. This woman recognized the struggles and stepped in as designated grandma. She picked my girls up from school, baked cookies with them, and took them along on many of her family birthday parties. She became what they desperately needed. So much so, they made sure she was on the family row at high school graduation. She didn't do this with just my children. She saw every child that walked through the church door as a child worthy of love and her devotion. When faced with difficulty, she always had kind words to say, no matter how she was treated. This woman was a mentor and someone who's qualities I hope to reflect in my own life. I have no doubt where she is spending her eternity, and I can guar...
Read more

Don't Cry Over Spilled Coffee

Image
  My mother told me as a child that the goofiest things happen to me. And, of course, she is correct. This last week, I had a conference with a parent, so I made sure to wear something nice . Keep in mind that I work with special needs preschool children, so I usually wear scrubs or something that can get dirty. Because of this, I'm particularly cautious when wearing my good clothes. I don't want to show up in front a parent with mystery stains all over me. Last week, I served my therapy with quick reflexes to keep strange pen marks and nose wipes off my clothes. At the completion, I drove back toward my office to prepare to meet my parents. This is where it gets good. While pulling out of the parking lot, I made my first mistake. I took a sip out of my coffee cup. I had borrowed my son's cup, so I wasn't aware that it flowed quicker than my regular cup. As I took a big sip, coffee poured out, past my mouth, and all across the front of my cream-colored shirt! It was not...
Read more