Perspectives

The other day on the radio there was a give-away to a single mom in KC. Thousands had written letters in nominating either a friend or themselves. All the letters were read and this mom was chosen - They called her, read her letter over the air, and announced her prizes. The thought of this in itself tugs at the heart strings with the reminder of how many kids are in broken homes and how many parents are trying to do Christmas by themselves. The details of this woman's story, however, is really what got me. She has 5 kids, no father but biologically, she was working 2 jobs but lost one of them. She and her family had been hopeless for a year and she'd finally saved up enough to get a small trailer for them. Her mini-van was on its very very last leg and she was afraid she wouldn't be able to get to a second job. She'd gotten each of her children one Christmas present, $10 or less, and when she tried explaining to her daughters that it wouldn't be like other Christmases, one told her 'It's ok Mommy' - She thought for sure Santa Claus would come through for them. This mom won a new mini-van filled with toys, a $100 gift card to a local grocery store and a weekend stay at this great resort we have for kids-It's like 80 degrees in there all year round with a water-park inside haha It seems 'Santa Claus' came through.

I was on my way to work when I heard this story and got to thinking... We all know factually that there are so many families less fortunate than we are but do we really know? We live comfortably in our safe zone of 'knowledge' without really handling the issue at all. There are military families who have been separated for nearly every major holiday in the past 5 years. There are families who are literally living pay check to pay check with near bare shelves in-between. There are little kids who are asking Santa for food and a job for daddy. We're preoccupied with paying for our taxes and other bills but bottom line we don't have to be afraid we're going to lose our house, we don't have to decide to not eat so our kids can, and we have a warm dry place to sleep, to live. It is far too easy to forget the blessings we have each day and how much we have to be thankful for - This may sound like more of a Thanksgiving post but I think the Christmas season may bring the thankful spirit out more, maybe that's just me. I think it's really just another reminder of how we forget what this season is supposed to focus on-Jesus came from the highest place, becoming one of us, just another lowly human being, raised in a meager home, spending his days serving others, eating and staying with those viewed as the lowest on the totem pole. I think we often view those less fortunate as being below us somehow, whether a conscious thought or not, all the while celebrating the birth of our Savior who lived his life among those less fortunate. A bit of irony in my opinion.

I think many of us have these little 'revelations' at holiday time - If only we'd have these revelations on a consistent basis throughout the year. How much of a difference would the right perspective make on a year-round-basis?

Reason for the Season?

We all know Christmas has become a commercialized, excuse for a party and eating more food, and the opportunity for kids and grown-ups alike to get all their 'wants' on sale. As you grow up the excitement of presents on that morning fades a bit and we develop new perspectives. Don't get me wrong, presents are always exciting, especially when they're what you actually wanted. However is this really the goal for the day? In a conversation regarding Christmas plans with someone the other day, it was mentioned part of her family would be having Christmas dinner 2 weeks early. During the conversation, though, she remarked that she didn't know what the point was in getting together anyway because no one buys presents anymore, at least not for anyone but the youngest child in the family... So there's no point in getting together if there's no presents? That made me so sad. I admit as a kid the presents were always pretty cool and my parents were great in what they provided my brother and myself. A few specific presents stick out in my mind as being 'super cool' but what do I remember most? I remember reading the Christmas story every year and as I got older it was my turn to try to pronounce all those hard names myself. haha I remember time with my parents and brother eating breakfast and watching the parade. And I remember being SO excited to go to my god-parents for dinner.

I think there are always more thing we can do in order to not lose sight of the 'true reason for the season' (a saying which itself is over-used) and these are very personal choices. I do feel as though I grew up with the perspective of Christmas being a time to be thankful, joyful, and celebrate with family the blessings of our Lord and take a sometimes too rare opportunity to fellowship with other believers. As an adult I am trying to re-evaluate and determine which of these perspectives may not be in the right direction or what area I may need to add more focus in order to ensure I myself do not get lost in what becomes holiday chaos. I'll let you know how that goes...