There is one Christmas song that I love more than the
rest. I have loved it since I can
remember. Maybe you have heard of
it…”Grown-up Christmas List”. I
was contemplating the other day why I have loved this song for so long…I mean,
I can’t even use the word “like” when I talk about it, it has to be “LOVE”!
As a child I think I liked the song because I longed to be a
grown-up and had so many expectations of what that meant (now that I’m here, I’ve
found it’s nothing to be overly excited about!!). But, I also think it was because even at that age I knew
that there were things going on in the world that hurt people. As I have gotten older there is a much
larger spectrum of “hurt” that I have found and it makes the song mean even
more to me…
I think about woman
and children I have met who have been brutally raped, beaten and left for dead
and I pray that…
no more lives
are torn apart.
I have amazing
friends who have headed into the military and then been deployed and I pray…
that wars
would never start.
I think about family
members who have been so overwhelmed by deaths and I pray…
that time
would heal all hearts.
I have met so many
people who feel they are alone in this world and I pray that…
everyone would have a friend.
I think of my
beautiful Otim in Uganda and all the other people who have been devastated by
the acts of Joseph Kony and his army and I plead…
that right
would always win.
I think of marriages
that have ended and I pray…
that love
would never end.
But…is this kind of a world even possible? Honestly, in
the world we live in today…could we make this happen? Could we as the church stand up and say that it’s not
right…that the things going on in the world, the injustices that we see are not
right…and could we DO something about it? One of the lines in the song that
sticks out to me is:
“What is this illusion
called?
The innocence of youth?”
Is that really what the song is…an illusion because of youth
and innocence? Or…maybe…just maybe…we
can actually make a difference.
I’ve added a video by Amy Grant singing “Grown-up Christmas List” in case you don’t know the song…which would be very sad!! (Sorry the video is so old…kind of entertaining though!)
