Skip to main content

Celebrate the Reason, not just the season

It is December 23rd and I still do not have the Christmas shopping done.  To be honest, I really haven't started.  This year I haven't felt like buying Christmas.  I didn't forget a word there, I mean I didn't feel like buying Christmas.  Now don't get me wrong, there will be a couple gifts under the tree for each of our children, but this year I am not going overboard.  I am not stressing over it.  I am not looking for that perfect toy that will make my children happy.  That is, after all, not the happy I want them to achieve this Christmas season.

I want my children to see that their joy comes from God.  I want them to see that they have already been given the absolute best present anyone could ever give them.  I want them to know that Jesus is that present.

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:21

And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  Luke 2:7

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  
John 1:14

I have been teaching them and showing them that Jesus is the reason for the season, but I must admit, I am disappointed that I have not been teaching them giving as much as I should.  I want them to grow up thinking of Christmas as a time when you give, not receive, because there is no gift that they could receive better than the gift of Jesus Christ.

Lord, I pray that we teach our children to give with a joy that comes only from You.  I pray that as they grow that they give with all praise and glory going to You.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Romania... are you sure?

A few weeks back I received a call from one of our church members telling me that God put my name on his heart during his prayer time that morning and he wanted me to pray about going to Romania. WHAT??? I can't go to Romania, I have 4 children, I can't leave them for a week! I, of course, did not say this to him, I instead said that I would pray about it. Immediately I sent my husband an email telling him about the phone call. He instantly sent me a message back asking what we had to do to make it happen. Wait a minute....he does realize the kids aren't going with me, doesn't he? That evening we were sitting with our children looking at the globe. We showed them where they were born and where they live now. Suddenly, my youngest daughter spins the globe, points her little finger and says "where is that". Of all places, she pointed to Romania. I have often told friends that I need a postcard of clarity from God. I think that was definitely a postcard in the fo...

Trying to be more of a planner

In December I started making a monthly meal plan.  I was excited, but a little nervous about how it would all turn out.  I must say I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome.  It didn't take as much time as I thought it would. I made the meal calendar for the month and then wrote down all the ingredients I would need.  That part was a little overwhelming at first.  I separated the lists into perishables and non-perishables/freezable.   Now I do a once a month shopping trip for the non-perishables/freezables and then a bi-weekly shopping trip for perishables.  I don't stick to the menu every day, but I know that I will have enough meals for a whole month.  When making out the menu I tried to put similar meals back to back.  Like one night we will have meatloaf and the next night we have shepherd pie.  I use the same ingredients 2 days in a row.  It saves time and money. My once a month shopping trip consists of bulk buying...

A Mom Is A Mom

I've been struggling with something for a while now. My struggle has caused me to hide out in my house and not want to go out into the world. What is my struggle? Women treating other women in a negative matter. Women talking about other women in a negative matter. More to the point - I struggle with the way moms treat other moms. We moved down south from Michigan about 5 years ago. I was excited for the change. My excitement was quickly squashed with the negativity I received. Unfortunately, there are still some people down south who do not care for people from the north. This has been a struggle the entire time I have lived down here. I simply do not fit in. My feeling is that I don't care where you are from. If you are a woman, we have something in common and we should support each other and lift each other up. If you are a mom, we have even more in common and we should support each other and lift each other up. It doesn't matter if you are a working mom or a s...