Merry Christmas!
It’s Christmas! I have so many feelings right now!!! I think that’s the thing about Christmas for a lot of us. This season is full of mixed emotions for people. Some people are stressed around the Holidays dealing with pressure from added expenses and the desire to love their families well. Some are dealing with reminders of loss. Christmas is never the same when a loved one is missing. Some are traveling and bouncing between broken homes.
I personally know what all of that looks like and have experienced it in the Christmas season and with my family to some degree. In recent years, I’ve had to really fight for joy around the holidays. It’s not easy, but I wouldn’t trade it.
This year I’m spending Christmas with my new team, we’re called Powerhouse, plus Laura and Emily. My new team is already like family in the way we love and care for one another, and it has been so exciting to spend Christmas celebrating with all these wonderful beautiful people.
So, this year is different. For the first time, I’m not in Georgia for Christmas and I’m not spending it with my family back home. My surroundings this Christmas are beautiful. I’m in a desert town surrounded by mountains, and overlooking the Red Sea. It’s pretty crazy to be less than 300 miles from Bethlehem on Christmas! Man, it’s a cool place. But, you know, Christmas really isn’t about where you are.
I miss being with my family this year. I know they miss me too. They message me all the time. I call every now and then, but I’m not in touch with everyone like I am when I’m back in the States. Before leaving on the race I literally set reminders on my phone to call my parents or visit at different times throughout each week so I could just be with them (lol). Today, I’m calling them at a McDonald’s with WiFi and praying for a good connection.
In the midst of the new hard stuff this year. The distance from family, the general adjustments I’m going through of being on a new team, and having sayed recent tough goodbyes to people I’ve spent the last 5 months getting so close to, the prepping for work in a refugee camp for 5 weeks in Greece, and the new round of fundraising to do it, I’m reminded of what’s truly important when it comes to Christmas. Jesus.
He came at such a moment as this didn’t He? He came into the World not too far from where I am now, in our hard time. We await Christmas all month, and if it’s just about Santa or materialism or even just being with the people we love, in the end that’s not enough and it’s not satisfying.
Thankfully, Jesus is satisfying. He really is the point in all of this. Does where, with who, or how we celebrate Christmas matter? Yes, and it matters to our Father in Heaven because it really does matter to us, and He loves us. The circumstances around the holiday affect us. Certainly for me, I’m affected emotionally. But what matters ultimately is that we make it all about Him. He is worthy of celebrating! The promised Savior came for you and me. He came, He’s the gift to the world to offer eternal salvation!!! See John 3:16 a wonderful Christmas verse. Emmanuel. God is with us!!!
Merry Christmas y’all 🙂
“For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6 HCSB
More pictures of my Christmas time 🙂
In Christ’s love,
-Daniel
