I am really having a hard time with Christmas this year. My eyes have been opened to see the commercialism and religious (or non-religious) rituals that so many people have bought into. Now that the scales have been dropped from my eyes, I'm having a really hard time transitioning from all of the ways we used to celebrate Christmas, to making this Christmas all about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I can't help to think about how He must feel about Santa. Our God is a jealous God and I know He doesn't like us making idols out of anything or anyone and that is what I feel Santa has become for so many households. My heart really breaks for Jesus because He deserves so much more than a quick prayer over your family dinner or a quick, "Thank you Jesus" for the gift you got.
He came to this earth as a tiny baby in a manger. And He left this earth with His body nailed to the cross to pay for our sins. Is it really too much to truly give Him ONE day out of the year to celebrate Him and everything that He means to us and has done for us?
I really want to honor Jesus this year and each new year to come. I want to thank Him more, praise Him more and spend more time alone in His presence. I don't want the presents, trees, lights, decor, dinner, or family gatherings to overshadow Him! I honestly could care less about all of those other things. I want to take communion with my family to remember what He did for us and to receive His blessings. The thing that makes this transition hard is our children and also the guilt trip I get from adults who think we're robbing our children of a part of their childhood that they can never get back.
My Christmas wish for you is that you will take even just a few minutes and bathe in His presence and remember why there even is a season. It's ALL about HIM! Please don't forget that, no matter how you choose to celebrate!
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. A few years ago when my son was still an infant I had this discussion with my husband. I have never been a good liar. (Plenty of other sins come easily...but not that one.) And I fully expected my husband to reject the notion of us not "doing Santa", but to my surprise, he told me that he was fine with that because he was really disappointed in his parents when he found out that they had lied to him for all those years. He had such an innocent trust in his parents that it just floored him that they would betray his trust in that way. Well, I can't say that was how I felt, but I was thrilled that God confirmed what was in my heart by giving me the green light with my husband's approval. Now, having said that, it hasn't been easier and each year (Jacob is 3 years old this year) is getting harder because people ask everywhere you go, "What is Santa going to bring you?" or "Are you excited about Santa?" etc. Many Christians don't take the same approach as I do either, but that is okay. We have not totally eliminated Santa in the fact that I just out and out refuse cartoons or shows with him in it, but what we have chosen to do is tell the real story about who Saint Nicholas was and how he developed into the "legend" he is today. Jacob is still too young to understand completely and I don't want him going around picking fights with kids over "Santa not being real" so we just choose to not make a big deal over it. He does not put out milk and cookies and he does not get presents from Santa, but from mom and dad provided by Jesus and his blessings on our family. Today at the doctor's office my OB asked Jacob about Santa and Jacob just shouted out "Jesus" to which my OB gave me a bewildered look. I am ashamed to admit that for a moment I was a bit "embarrassed" (Not that Jacob yelled Jesus, but that we don't do Santa...and I don't even know why I was embarrassed...I hate my flesh sometimes)and have felt much like Peter all afternoon about that, but I just simply explained that we don't emphasize Santa and that we want Jacob to understand more about why we really celebrate Christmas. Anyway, I wrote a post about the St. Nicholas story last year and there is A GREAT BOOK put out by Voice of the Martyrs that you may be interested in.
Here is the link: http://www.heart-toward-home.com/2009/11/loving-what-christmas-is-all-about.html
Merry Christmas,
Amanda