1 Thing Matters

Photo by Kari Shea

Are you going to do it again? December 25 has flown by, and there it still sits, neatly wrapped. The greatest gift given – the greatest gift you received this Christmas, and you’re going to leave it all wrapped up? For another year… again???

I get it. You think you know what it is. You’ve eyed it up. You’ve shaken it. It’s the same size and shape that others opened from the same Giver, so you know what it is. You’re fine with others making a big deal about it. That doesn’t bother you. You just don’t need it.

“Merry Christmas!” doesn’t offend you. “Keep Christ in Christmas” bumper stickers don’t make your skin crawl. You don’t get all worked up about the nativity on display or whether they call it a Christmas tree or a holiday tree. It’s just not for you.

But what if it is?

What if your assumptions about that gift differ from reality? What if past bad experiences you’ve had with hypocrites who ridiculed you for your disinterest or indifference were not an accurate reflection of the gift itself, but were just poor examples misrepresenting it? What if the only thing keeping you from benefiting from this gift is your own arrogance? Ignorance? Intelligence?

What if in this gift you actually found the fulfillment you haven’t been able to find anywhere else in your life? What if it provided purpose? What if it enriched your relationships and satisfied the contentment you crave? What if, in this gift, you would finally have happiness – genuine, lasting happiness, that didn’t waver based on your achievements or failures? What if it put you at peace?

You’ll never know if you continue to leave that gift wrapped up.

Unwrap it this year. Explore and experience how and why so many stake their whole lives on Jesus, the one thing that matters.

“Last year we did Christmas at my parents’ house, his parents’ place, his brother’s house, my first cousin-once-removed’s, and our mailman’s house. It was too much. Never again.”

Chances are, you’ve said those exact words at some point. Or something like them (the “spending Christmas at his parents’ place” might be a stretch – I’d totally understand if you wanted to take a year off from his dad’s time-honored tradition of singing along to Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer every time it comes on, which is all day long, since he still doesn’t know how to work a CD player and hits the repeat button every time he plays it. Also, who still has a CD player?).

Sure, we love the time with family. We love hosting. We love planning. We love exchanging gifts. We love the breaks from school and work. But when did Christmas become something that we “do”? When did it stop being something He already did – something that we simply celebrate and ponder?

But when did Christmas become something that we “do”? When did it stop being something He already did – something that we simply celebrate and ponder?

If Christmas becomes more and more about something we do each year, should we be all that shocked when more and more it also underwhelms? Leaves us wanting more? Disappoints?

Now I’m not saying you can’t enjoy a cup of eggnog, shrimp cocktail, meatballs, puppy chow, those tantalizing little smokies, chex mix, an assortment of cheese and crackers, fudge, and a few Christmas cookies here and there. After all, I’m pretty sure that’s what Mary served the shepherds when they visited Jesus. But either way, I bet that first Christmas didn’t disappoint, because it wasn’t something they did; it was something God had done.

And it was marvelous.

Maybe don’t stress out about “doing Christmas” this year. God already did it. Let that be enough, and simply take more time to treasure it in your heart as Mary did. That we can do.

Stop caring about other people so much this time of year.

OK, not really – but I had to get your attention somehow. Don’t ever stop caring about other people, this time of year or any other.

But I do actually want you to be more selfish. No, I don’t mean splurging on yourself with a grandissimo Roasted Chestnut Maple Butterscotch Chex Mix Mochachino from Starbucks*, although I could hardly blame you if you did. No, when I encourage you to be more selfish, I am not talking about spending more money on yourself.

I am talking about spending more time on yourself… with the One who gave you the gift of time in the first place.

Now just hear me out for a sec.

What have you got to lose by cracking open a Bible to Luke chapter 2 and giving the story of Jesus’ birth a read or a re-read? At the very least, doing so will provide you with a familiarity of what this season is all about for so many. You’ll also get to read the name “Quirinius,” and who doesn’t love reading that name over and over again?!? (fun fact: the name Quirinius just barely got beat out by Maximillian as the name of our first-born son).

What have you got to lose by attending that family-friendly event at your nearby church? Your kids might actually have fun, and you may even run into some not-really-all-that-weird people. Everybody wins! Besides, your kids are more than likely to score some sort of goodie, and since Christmas is still far enough away, you can probably manage to get even more mileage out of that goodie by stuffing a stocking with it or sticking it under the tree so your kids can experience the joy of receiving it all over again! Super-yay!

What have you got to lose by indulging your friend who keeps inviting you to her church’s Christmas Eve service? You’ll make her day by accepting, you could enjoy singing a Christmas song or two that you haven’t sung in years, and you may even benefit from hearing an uplifting and inspiring message. And who knows, maybe they’ll even be serving Roasted Chestnut Maple Butterscotch Chex Mix Mochachinos from Starbucks!**

 

*Not an actual drink… yet. Give it time to catch on.

**Still not an actual drink. Sorry, but it will need more time than that to catch on.

 

Dear friend,

I am sorry for the times I’ve failed to invite you to church. It’s not because I’d be embarrassed or ashamed of you – indeed I would be honored to have you with me! It has much more to do with my fear of you turning me down. But that fear doesn’t really give much credit to our friendship, does it?

I’m sorry when my words and actions don’t align with the right and wrong of my faith, and you end up seeing the hypocritical side of me. While I’m not proud of it, consider it me modeling how much I need forgiveness. Be patient – I’ll be spending the rest of my life working on it.

I’m sorry for the times I’ve confused my political beliefs with my religious beliefs. While my political views are understandably shaped by my faith, no one knows better than I do to keep the two separate. No political party, after all, has ever ushered a single saint into heaven. Only Jesus does that. I forget that sometimes.

I’m sorry for giving the impression that I think my sins aren’t as bad as yours or those of others. I know quite well how God feels about all sin. I am also grateful to know and believe what he’s done about it (… he’s forgiven it).

I’m sorry for not bringing up Jesus in more of our conversations. My connection with him is the 1 thing that matters to me more than anything else… which probably isn’t terribly obvious to you if you hear me mention him so infrequently.

I’m sorry for my lack of availability on Sunday mornings due to church. As dear a friend as you truly are to me, I have another Friend with whom I cherish that time together. Besides, the more time I spend with Him, the better a friend I’ll be to you.

BTW, if you’d ever like to meet Him, I am gradually gaining more confidence in introducing my friends to Him. I’d be happy to connect you. Just let me know.

In Christ,

Your Christian friend

 

 

 

I am ashamed.

I am embarrassed.

On this day after our presidential election, I am not proud to be an American.

I am astonished that Donald Trump is our president elect.

This was not the outcome I expected. I fully accepted that the next president of the United States of America would be Hillary Clinton.

But the outcome of the election is not why I am ashamed.

It is not why I am embarrassed.

No, the reason I am not proud to be an American has nothing to do with the way Americans voted.

It has everything to do with the way Americans treated Americans who voted… or treated those who embraced their right not to vote.

I have never seen an uglier side of the citizens of the United States of America – regardless of political affiliation – than during this presidential election.

We “celebrate” our diversity… by vilifying other races or orientations who didn’t vote as we did. We are polarized. We hate each other because we have different values and views… all while hiding behind this facade that we’re totally cool with it.

That’s not on any presidential candidate. We don’t get to place that blame on someone else’s political stumping or campaign speech.

That’s on us. And we can’t fix it until we own it. Each and every one of us.

America, we have a problem… and it has very little to do with the outcome of this election.

It has everything to do with the citizens – you and me.

No president will fix that.

Only you can.

You want to be proud of this country?

Fix you. You’re what’s wrong.

But no one else can do that for you. Only you can.

I can’t.

I’ll be too busy working on me.

I’ve heard more this election year than I ever recall hearing about the “October Surprise.” As I understand it, this phrase is a reference to presidential election year bombshells that are dropped the month prior to the election in November.

Here’s an October Surprise for you: the outcome of the Presidential Election next month doesn’t matter.

That’s right. It doesn’t matter.

It will not impact one single soul’s eternity. Democrat? Republican? It doesn’t matter. There will be both in heaven.

There will be both in hell.

A donkey or an elephant doesn’t determine your eternity.

A cross does.

Truth (which, based on the candidates’ track record, seems to be quite elusive): A Savior died on that cross to pay the ultimate price for your sins. Believe it or don’t.

But the result of whether or not you believe it will have much farther-reaching impact on your eternity than any presidential election ever will.

Don’t let your eternity be a surprise.