- It is a time to JOYFULLY give and receive... There is no joy in either giving or receiving when we do so out of obligation.
- It is a time of TEACHING... Part of the reason we are selfish as adults is that we never learned (or were taught) generosity as children. Involve your children in projects that encourage generosity, AND lead by your example. After all, should you ever expect to get generous children when you yourself fail to model it before them?
- I'm not downplaying the season when I say this, but remember that Christmas is a time to bring EMPHASIS to attitudes that should be part of our lives throughout the year. If we lose the 'Christmas spirit' after December 25, we never really had it to begin with.
- Jesus LOVES the atheists that attack public nativity scenes much more than we love our plastic light-up Marys and baby Jesuses. Christians celebrate His nativity (and His priorities), and He never forced Himself on anyone. Why should we? Our culture will never be the same when Christians become more concerned about the way we keep Christmas in our own hearts and less concerned about the world taking "Christ" out of Christmas.
- Christmas is a time for RECONCILIATION. Christ came to bring peace between God and mankind. And as a result, peace between fellow human beings. There's very little we can do to bring world peace, but we can do infinitely more to model peace in our own intimate relationships... with our spouses, children, parents, siblings, extended family, and friends. If Jesus is the "Prince of Peace," in our lives, why do we find it so hard to ask for forgiveness, extend forgiveness, receive forgiveness, and live in the resulting peace with those closest to us?
I hope your Christmas is EVERYTHING God wants it to be for you this year!!!
