Christmas Spirit

I haven't been writing much, so I found myself here wondering what to write about. Well, I decided to write on Christmas & all that comes with this precious celebration.

I, for one, found myself being pulled in many directions this Christmas & letting all the hustle & bustle that seems to occur take over much of my own thinking & time. If I would catch myself in time I would quickly remind myself what Christmas is really suppose to be about...the birth of Christ & our love & worship for Him. This would help for a short time, but then I would once again get pulled back into the worldly part of Christmas. "Sigh"
So why is it that so much of this beautiful holiday is hidden behind so much greed, grief & discouragement these days? Why do we see Santa & reindeer everywhere, along with snowmen & sleighs, but we have to actually search for a nativity of any kind? Why do we catch ourselves(me included) hunting for that perfect gift for someone we know but barely give much thought to those all around us who may not receive anything this Christmas? (I vowed to myself that I was not going to end my shopping without giving to some toy drive this year, only to forget.)I even missed our Candlelight service because after the long day with family I wore myself out & stayed home. I did, however, watch The Nativity, which again reminded me of what I should have been celebrating.
Is there hope, I like to think so. And where can that hope be found? On my knees before my awesome Creator, asking for forgiveness for taking for granted His beautiful gift to us all...the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ! And after receiving that forgiveness I'll be asking Him to send reminders all year long of how we can rejoice & give thanks in all we do and how we can share the joy of our Savior by showing His love to others by serving them with grace.
So for all who read this, I want to encourage you to remember all year round what Christmas is really about & prepare your hearts for God's love. Than maybe, just maybe, we can usher in next year's Christmas celebration with hearts full of God's grace & Christ's desire to spread His love to all!