I'm in Philadelphia with my most of my family and I'm continually reminded of how good I have it. God has just blessed in so many ways. Not everyone has it as good as I do. I saw a few homeless people set up outside of South Station in Boston on Saturday when Jess and I were leaving for Philly. Last night, a woman at my parent's church mentioned seeing a man with a tent pitched off the side of the highway. A friend of mine lost her mother this summer after a long battle to illness. Another friend may be spending her last Christmas with her father. This will be our first Christmas without my grandfather who died of cancer in July. I know of children who have parents in prison or rehab and won't have their presence this Christmas.
So many people are hurting this Christmas. When I consider this and compare it to my own insignificant complaints, I am humbled. There are times when I consider my “trials” to be so rough and almost unbearable then I see others who are going through worse and having such a better outlook than I do. I can be such a selfish person. It amazes me that God still wants anything to do with me when I consider how much time I spend on myself and not on others.
Just think of how much time we spend on ourselves at Christmas time. I realized that even when I buy presents for others I think about what I can get out of it. Maybe its a present for Jessica who I live across the hall from nine months out of the year. I can borrow it whenever I want. Or maybe its a present for my mom. I want praise for doing such a good job in selecting a gift. Or recognition for being the most “thoughtful.” Or heaven forbid I actually spend more than what I get in presents. The problem is it all still surrounds me. That goes against everything Christ exemplifies for the life of a Christian, and goes against the whole purpose of Christmas.
Christmas is about remembering what God has done in gifting us with the most unbelievable Gift ever given to someone so undeserving. It is about the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The One who thirty years later presented Himself as a blood sacrifice for payment of my sins. It's not about me, but all about Him. And what He is all about is them...those who are hurting and broken. So what can I do for them this Christmas?
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