Do you like to celebrate? How about decorating? I love to celebrate and decorate! I’m quite drawn to shiny objects. My kids always joke if I were a fish I’d be the first one caught since I’d be so drawn to the shiny lure.
You can see why Christmas is right up my alley.
My family has always gone all out for Christmas. You might assume that means we have had tons of gifts, thousands of decorations and went to loads of parties. But, not really. We always had some gifts, decorated a little and got together with friends and family but we had SO much more.
Some of my best memories are of baking Jesus a birthday cake and all the kids blowing out the candles Christmas day. Or sitting around the kitchen table writing our letters to Santa. Then the joy of putting them in the fireplace so the ashes could travel to the North Pole. I still hang all the handmade ornaments we spent countless hours making to this day.
But my favorite memory is how my dad would gather all of us around and read the Christmas story.
“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” Luke 2:16-20 (NIV)
There was a state of anticipation and celebration in our home. We knew early on what Christmas was truly about. Not only the birth of our Savior but how awe inspiring it was and still is that He came for each of us.
No matter what kind of rejections we’ve dealt with in this world, there is power in fully grasping that kind of love.
I’ve also had many Christmas seasons which were a struggle. The kind where you feel completely isolated and alone. Sometimes even in a crowd of loved ones. Living in a fallen world leads to a lot of hurting people and unfortunately they often hurt other people.
Whatever your Christmas story has been, know that it’s Jesus’ story that matters, and His story includes loving you!
I’d love to share with you the first song my dad ever wrote. He was young and married with my 2 oldest sister’s still toddlers. He was working full time as a ranch hand taking care of cattle. Being the youngest he was had to feed the cows on Christmas Eve. It was in that setting where he penned this song on the back of a feed sack in the moonlight.
Laura Hicks has a passion for helping others find deliverance through Jesus. God has redeemed her past and is using it for His glory. She ranches with her husband and two sons way out in the middle of nowhere, or as she likes to call it – God’s country. Laura trains Border Collie dogs to help on the ranch and compete in sheep and cattle trials. She believes that watching a good dog work livestock is truly poetry in motion! Connect with Laura at www.laurahicks.org.
[…] shared my Christmas story of Jesus’ love for each of us over at Crystal Stine’s this week and would like to share it with you as well. Please check out Crystal’s page for […]