Christmas is Cancelled – Or Is It?
When the word came down last week from the government officials in our province that all indoor and outdoor gatherings are prohibited until January it was a tough blow. Any hope of having some kind of Christmas celebration dissipated and sadness set in. No festive dinners. No Christmas carol singing in church. No family gatherings. No trips to see loved ones.
At times like these it is extremely easy to have negative thoughts settle in and take root. Like dandelion seeds blowing in the wind and creating new weeds everywhere, these negative images permeate lots of what we do and think if we let them.
I challenge you, my readers, to not let that happen. The reason for the Christmas season has not changed. No matter where we are or who we are with, God’s message of love is the same. He sent Jesus to earth as a tiny baby, both fully human and fully God. Jesus did what we cannot do – live a perfect life. He sacrificed that life for us by dying on the cross. But His story doesn’t end there. We know that because of Jesus’ resurrection that we have hope in the future. No matter what this world throws us, we have the certainty that we will have eternity in heaven with Jesus if we believe in His redemptive work on the cross.
The devil would like to tear us down right now with anger, sadness, hopelessness, and frustration. He will dig in and try to worm his way into our thoughts and actions and moods. Don’t let him win!
Rather than think about what you don’t have this Christmas season, focus on what you do have. My list includes not only that I have Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, but also that I have a wonderful, loving husband, I have seven terrific kids and their mates, I have three wonderful grandkids and the joy of celebrating a new grandbaby on the way, I live in glorious spot in the country, I have the electronic means to keep in contact with all my family, I have productive activities to do, and the list goes on.
Make your list today. Post it up in where you can see it often and don’t forget all the positives in your life right now. You’ll be amazed, once you start, at how many positive things you can list about your life.
Christmas is about what we make it, but even more so it is about why and how God made it. Keep your eyes on Him and the hope He brings.
Christmas blessings to you all.
