Estoy aqui en Panama. I have been thinking a lot about the Christmas season. It is really weird to not be in a cold climate during this holiday season. There is no snow, no blue spruces, no down jackets or scarves, no fireplaces or Christmas cookies. What I have really realized however is that these are all things that I “think” make the season special.
I was listening to music the other night and I realized that I had City On A Hill: It’s Christmas Time (the only Christmas album I listen to) on my I-Pod. I rarely choose to listen to Christmas music but it was nice to the other night because it brought me back to last year during Christmas time. I have a way of connecting music to different times and people in my life. Sometimes it can be a good thing, sometimes not so much. However, every time I listen to this particular album I am brought back to Christmas last year, which is a good thing. It has been nice, in a way, to feel like I am back home during this season but at the same time it has been nice to be away. Often times I get caught up in the distractions of the holiday season. The shopping, the exchange of presents, the cookie baking, the Christmas tree, the stockings and the snow and of course Christmas dinner. These distractions take me away from the true reason for this season. The only reason I celebrate this season, the story of Christmas that I believe, is that of the birth of Immanuel. For if He had not been born then He would have never been able to die on the cross as a perfect and pleasing sacrifice for my sins. And without His death he would have never risen to life again. And this simple truth is why I am alive today, this is why I am living my life, and this is why I am here in Panama sharing the love of God. I want my faith to be so contagious, that when people look at me they see something different. They see that I am living for something more than what can be found in this earthly life. I am living for Immanuel because without Him life for me is meaningless.
Now do not get me wrong, it is still hard to be away from my family and friends and everything that makes this time so festive back home in the States, I am strangely at peace. However, I am actually kinda excited this year. I am excited because I get to spend this season truly focused on my Lord and Savior, without many of the earthly distractions that so often crowd my mind.
The weather has been much different here than it has been in either Guatemala or El Salvador. We were told that we are in the rainy season here so it has rained everyday since we arrived and not just a lite drizzle, it has been a full on down pour for literally hours. The other night it poured the entire night. It is also cooler, I mean cooler than what it has been but still not anywhere near what I would define as “cool”. I am still wearing shorts and a t-shirt while others are wearing jeans and long sleeves. It has been a greatly appreciated change from the heat, even if it is not snow like I am used to. And guess what?? The house we are staying in actually has a Christmas tree with little lights. Now it is a fake tree and the lights are colored (Pops you would like them) but it is a Christmas tree none the less. So that little piece of Christmas is still present so its a comfort.
So enjoy this Christmas season and do not forget to remember the real reason that we celebrate this season.
Until next time
Annalisa
