Thoughts on giving…….

As Christmas grows near and we rush about buying gifts for those we love, I want to share something I feel led to address.  When I was a young child my parents were very giving and loving and went way over the top providing sumptuous Christmas mornings for my brother Homer, and I.   I know they did it out of love, but for many years it had a negative affect on me.  Christmas became all about what I was going to get!  I have some very bad memories about a few times that I was disappointed and handled it badly.  I was young but I was also spoiled and I lost all sight of the meaning of giving.  When I grew up and got married I followed their path for a while, then it dawned on me just how misguided such emphasis on the material aspects of Christmas was.   I’m not against giving gifts, I’m against loosing sight of why we really celebrate the day!  Maybe one of the only great things about growing older is maturity runs you down, and  forces you to grow up, and see things in life in a much different way.

The highlight of my Christmas now is the candlelight service depicted above in our church Christmas Eve.  We sing traditional Christmas hymns and then, as we sing Silent Night, we light candles and the sanctuary is aglow with the light of His love. I now know that He was the greatest gift ever given to the World!

Blessings,

the pilgrim