This is a story of how God changed the heart of a girl who thought Christmas was the worst holiday ever…….
Alright so that girl was me. For a while now I have hated Christmas. I didn’t hate Christmas completely; I mainly hated what Christmas in America had turned into.
I’m on a team with a bunch of girls whose favorite holiday is….. You guessed it Christmas.
I remember a time when I loved Christmas, but maybe even then I had been looking at Christmas from the wrong perspective. Christmas to me back then was the best, because that’s when my family all came together, and gave gifts. Nobody whined about not getting enough presents, or complained because someone else got ‘the one I wanted.’
So, coming into Malaysia the first thing our contacted wanted us to do was decorate the Christmas tree.
‘Oh joy’ was my first thought ‘I’m never gonna get away from the this’
But then something happened. My team last month decided to start reading the art of listening prayer. It’s a book by Seth Barnes (aka the guy that started the world race). It’s to get you in a place where you are seeking the Lord every day and learning what his voice sounds like.
Well one day while doing our ‘quite time’ I heard God tell me to tell the girls why I don’t like Christmas so much.
In America the real reason for celebrating Christmas is pretty much gone. Everyone runs around like chickens with their heads cut off looking for the ‘perfect’ gift. When they finally find it everyone wants to buy the same thing. When Christmas rolls around everyone gets excited about the ‘perfect’ gift they bought, and come to find out it’s not good enough, they want more.
This “I want more” attitude in America really needs to stop, but how do I get them to see presents aren't that Important. Earthly materials…… You can’t take them with you when you die so what’s the big deal.
Jesus…… Now that’s a big deal. God himself came down to earth in the form of a helpless baby. So, he could grow up, and be nailed to a tree and die for a bunch of people who deserve to be separate of God for all eternity………. That’s a pretty big deal to me.
So, why in the world would you want to replace Jesus for some fat guy who lives in the North Pole with a bunch of elves, and call it part of the ‘season’?
The last I checked Santa wasn’t in Bethlehem when Jesus was born.
I realize that the problem isn’t with the presents or Santa. The real problem is with me. Instead of focusing on all the things Christmas isn’t about why don’t I just focus on the true meaning of Christmas?
Christmas is about when the Savior of the whole world was born…………..
Sure Christmas is full of a lot of crap that doesn’t need to be there, and little by little Santa is replacing the birth of the Savior, but here in Malaysia with this family of believers they put all the crap aside and focus on what the real importance is.
It's a real blessing to be here at Vineyard Community Church this month.
Prayer request:
1.Pray for Financial blessings over my Squad mates who still need to meet their deadlines from last month.
2.That people will open there minds to the real reason for Christmas
3.The Spirit to move in Malaysia and that a revival will start.
