Celebrating Christmas

I’m sitting here today and still find myself amazed that Christmas is upon us. What an exciting time of year with the business of preparing for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. I have fond memories through the years of ways we’ve celebrated Christmas—children’s musicals, plays, communion, candlelight services, caroling, and many other ways. Every one of those ways may have been different, but they all had the same purpose: to rejoice, because the Son of God was born on Christmas morning to become our redeemer and Savior.

I would encourage each of us to find our own special way to celebrate the birth of Christ in the midst of all the things happening. Sit down and read the Christmas story from Luke 2. If you have children, take a few moments and talk with them about the true meaning of Christmas and how it impacts our lives on a daily basis. Don’t be politically correct and tell people “Happy Holidays,” but instead remind them that it is a celebration of our faith in Christ and wish them a “Merry Christmas.”

I Know My Ham....

Last week was a wonderful time as we had the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family and friends.  I was assigned a couple of tasks in preparation of the big day and I set out on Wednesday to accomplish those tasks.  One of them was to go to the store and get a ham—I mean, Thanksgiving without a ham is like watching a Rangers baseball game and not eating a hot dog.  So, I went to the store and found the section where the hams were located.  When I got to the hams I noticed that there were only two types available.  I know you are wondering if there’s a point to this, but here it is: they had types of ham available but they looked totally different.  The first was your typical spiral ham that was big, round, and had a bone in it.  Although this is a great ham, it takes a lot of room in the oven, and with a large turkey and all the other great sides it makes cooking everything difficult.  The other ham was deboned, so it was flat; the shape looked odd but it clearly said ‘ham’ on it and it would take up less space in an oven.  I bought it after much debate in my mind because if it says it’s a ham then I believe it’s a ham.

Here’s where the problem comes into play.  I took the ham home, and when the family saw it they were not happy with the choice of hams I’d made.  I heard about how my ham looked like bacon, it was ugly, and everything else from those who seemed to lose the spirit of Thanksgiving.  LOL!  I assured them that everything was going to be fine and I took over the preparation and cutting of the ham.

I’m so thankful that when Christ came to this earth He didn’t look at me and say that I just don’t look right.  He gave His very life that I might have life.  And this applies to everyone reading this blog.  Christ gave His very life because He saw the value in you and wants to have an eternal relationship with you.  If we’re not careful we can fall into the mindset that we don’t measure up, so how could God ever love us? But that’s the very reason Christ came: to seek and to save the lost, including those who don’t feel like they are worthy of being loved. 

The good news is that the ham not only turned out to be perfect but many of the family commented that it was the best ham they’d ever had.  In fact, it was so good that we even had another meal with the leftovers a few days later.  My plan was a success.  Likewise, once Christ became my Savior I learned that God has a plan for my life.  And that plan is a good plan where I can impact others in a positive way by showing them the love that God has for them.