As the world is celebrating another year tonight, I began my celebrations early by celebrating another birthday today. Ahh! I am now 33. I remember turning 30 and having a couple of friends saying they were glad I was no longer in my 20's since they weren't anymore either. I guess we don't like to feel old alone :) I really can't believe that I am in my 30's. When I was in my 20's, all of my 30's friends seemed so mature. But I have to be honest, I don't feel that way. Sometimes I wonder to myself "Am I mature enough to have a husband, three kids, own a home and make decisions on my own?" My parents always seemed to know what they were doing. I sure don't. Maybe when I turn 40 I will feel that way. I guess I have 7 years until I find out. In the mean time, I will ask God to give me wisdom for each day and thank Him for the blessings that He has given me. Whether I thought I would feel more old or mature than I do as a thirty something, I know that I am blessed more than I could have imagined.
Thank you, God, for the wonderful 33 years you have given me, my family and my friends. Most of all thank you for you and the work you have done in my life.
I remember when I was a kid the day after Christmas was a huge let down. Not that I was disappointed with Christmas, just that I looked forward to it for so long and then in a flash it was over. There weren't any more presents under the tree, in fact the tree was about to go back in it's box, we would say goodbye to cousins and grandparents and head back home, lights came down from our house, decorations back to the attic, it was over. A months preparation and then it was over in a day until the next year. So sad. The month leading up to Christmas day was so busy, filled with cookie making, decorating, Christmas programs, wrapping presents, peeking in presents (and I have to admit I was terrible about that, my mom had to double wrap gifts and use code to mark who they were for, but I always seemed to figure it out anyway, I was so naughty!) looking at lights, listening to Christmas carols, not to mention the night before when I would lay awake for what seemed to be hours trying so hard to listen for hooves up on the roof. Looking out the window anytime I thought I heard something or saw a flash of light, hoping that I could catch Santa. The morning seemed like it would never come. So when it was over it was disappointing. For some reason though as I have gotten older, I don't feel that way anymore. I don't think I am grinch and just don't care much about the holiday anymore. Maybe it is because we are out of routine and I like things in order so I look forward to the day after so that order can return to my house. Or maybe I can finally feel finished with all of the preparations and just relax a little. Or that I finally get to see the kids enjoy what we have been hiding from them for a while. I don't think it is any of those things though.
I would like to think that it is because I have realized the reason for the season. God gave us his perfect son. The perfect gift to us. And after celebrating his birth on Christmas we can celebrate his perfect life and his perfect sacrifice for our sins. So the day after Christmas shouldn't be a let down, because it should be us celebrating the beginning of God's work of redemption that he had been preparing the world for since the beginning. So if we are truly focused on Christ's birth and all that that entails, the day after should be a time of joy as we continue to celebrate this gracious gift of the Savior.
So, I pray as the Christmas season has come to a close, that the true meaning will be in the front of your thoughts and produce a grateful heart of joy. We are celebrating Jesus, his gift of salvation doesn't end on December 25.
"Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
I don't know why some days missing Dad hits me more than others. I know that holidays can be hard, but I don't think that is what it is. A couple of days ago the kids and I looked through a photo album that my sister put together of my dad's life. Paige looks at it all of the time, but she wanted me to look at it with them so I could tell them more about the pictures. It is nice to have the memories that I can share with the kids, hopefully keeping their memories of dad alive. Oh how I miss him though. It is little things like watching a Purdue basketball game and remembering all of the games that Dad and I went to together. Thinking about how excited he would be about how well they are doing this year. Looking up at the mountains as I drive through town and think about how Dad loved visiting us here and getting to go up into the mountains and exploring them. Remembering driving with my Dad across the country as he helped us move out here. Seeing the kids growing and learning and knowing how proud Dad would be of them. Talking to Mom and knowing that she is alone. Listening to Paige rattle off dates of crazy things like when she lost all of her teeth and so on and knowing she is exactly like my dad!
I miss talking to him and hearing his voice. I miss his smile and gentle spirit. I miss him.
His life on earth was relatively short, not quite 58 years. But he had a good life and I was blessed with the time I had with him. I never questioned his love for me, it was very evident. The time was shorter with Dad that I would have liked, but the time I did have was a blessing from God, for which I am very grateful.
As much as I wish Dad was here right now, I am thankful that Dad is with his Savior. I am thankful that my heavenly father is good, and I know that all is for his glory. And I am thankful that he uses my family in displaying his glory.
Every holiday, every year, I struggle to make it be what I believe it should be. Trying not to let Macy's, Target, Hallmark, and the rest of our society dictate what we focus on. Christmas is the biggest. Santa Claus, presents, cookies, etc. They all seem to take the front and center. But I don't want it to be that way. So how do we make Christmas different? How do I show our kids that Christmas is about God's gift to us. Jesus. The gift that was promised to Adam and Eve after sin entered the world. The gift that Abraham and King David were promised would come. The gift that would save us from our desperate state of sin. What is Christmas suppose to look like? In the Old Testament, God gave instructions to the Israelites on how to celebrate specific holidays/festivals like Passover. Christmas isn't laid out in the Bible as to how it should look. Really the only one that is laid out for us now is the Lord's Supper. So what should Christmas look like to show our children and those around us why we celebrate this holiday? We aren't going to avoid the gifts and seeing Santa everywhere. But I believe we need to be proactive in teaching our little ones about the precious gift from God. I want to be intentional in all that we do this year. I was recently introduced to the Jesse Tree. Here are two links that give information on it:
Typically you would start this at the beginning of Advent. But I don't think it is ever too late. There are scripture readings everyday that will point us to the coming of Christ. (Thank you Rachel for sharing this with me.)
In the past few years we have used What God Wants for Christmas. You can look at it here. The kids have loved this because it is a manger scene they can touch and play with. It is something that you can do with a group such as a Sunday School class or just with your family. You can open one box each day before Christmas or you can spread it out over the day of Christmas. There are lots of options.
Another thing we do is bake cookies for our neighbors. The kids help with the baking and the delivering. In the past we have included a book with the cookies such as John Piper's book Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ, click here to see how you can order it by the case. It is great to include the kids in this Christmas outreach.
I would love to hear how you and your family celebrate Christ's Birth. Please leave a comment.
I know there are many great ways out there to focus ourselves and our families on the beauty of Christ, so please share yours!
Hi, my name is Melissa. My husband, Jathan, and I have 4 beautiful children, 2 by birth and 2 by adoption. Jathan is a pastor and I am a stay at home, homeschooling mom.
You will find me writing about my kids, my husband, God, adoption, homeschooling, our travels, life events and everything in between.
