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Holidays In Celebration, Not Sadness
The blessed event of Christ’s birth, our
Savior, brightens our homes with joy and happiness. For some however, these days are
fearful, stressful and sad. These situations and feelings are what is left after alcohol
and drugs enter this most holy of days. "The day after" contains the smoldering
ashes of a warmth, of a togetherness, turned into a blazing fire. I am not saying that
these terrible situations are planned, but the reality is they happen. It occurs next
door, with your friends, and most of all, with family members whom we love with all of our
heart.
For the past 11 years, my telephone has rung the day
after Christmas. A crying wife or husband has been asked to leave home, and they describe
how bad their holiday was. I do not receive the good news of Christ’s birth, the
story of Jesus, but the terrible details of a very unhappy day. Why is it that some choose
to celebrate with attending their local church, praising God for sending His son, while
others choose to celebrate with chemicals that not only alter a mood, but also ruin it?
You see, it is not a mystery about Jesus, but it is
a mystery why some people would rather have a miserable holiday than enjoy the meaning,
the true meaning of Christmas. Violence, anger and destruction take over where joy once
filled the soul.
Each year this picture returns to haunt family
gatherings. I know this to be true. For 21 years of my life, this was the way I lived:
selfish, self-centered and determined to do Satan’s will for me in my life. I found
it easier to switch families than work on myself. Five marriages later, you would think
that I would have a clue that it was I who was the problem and not they. One day in
Bethlehem, a son was born to Mary and Joseph that would change the world forever. . .a
Savior who would help anyone if asked for the help.
"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given
to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be open to you. For everyone who
asks receives, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given
to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be open to you. For everyone who
asks receives, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
Luke 11:9-10.
I thought I heard this little noise that spoke to me
occasionally telling me that things were not quite the way they should be. I choose to
ignore this and instead used my self-will to continue ruining the holidays for the ones I
loved. I felt as if this were my destiny, the straw that I had drawn to be the one to
remind my family just how important I really was. I had lost the true meaning of
Christ’s birth. Wandering through life without any goals or focus, I stumbled. I came
upon this verse that I have tried to follow for the past 11 years that helped me
understand the true meaning of giving.
"Then Jesus said to His host, ‘When you
give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your
rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when
you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be
blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the
righteous."
Luke 14:12-14.
When I act like myself, I make a mess. When I do
what Jesus did, my life gets better. In listening to the war stories about the holidays, I
try to emphasize the importance of change, challenge and encouragement. My wife and I
spend our holiday helping those individuals who, like me, give up so easily. We focus on
the true meaning of the holidays, the birth of our Savior, and give Glory to Him. I have
found that each time that we do this, we celebrate our holidays to the glory of God’s
son. May he bless and keep you in the New Year of His birth.
December 27, 1997
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