why Christmas?
December 23, 2009 | Dear Friend,Knowing Christ
Dear Suzie,
Why Christmas?
Dear friend,
I think that even Christians struggle with this question because Christmas, as you and I celebrate it, often has little to do with Christ.
I love this season. I love the family aspects. In fact, I’ve prepared food for the past two days. I’ve wrapped presents and I will delight in watching Leslie, Stephen, Josh, Melissa, Ryan and Kristin opening them. I thought about the gifts and what might bring that moment of fun and laughter, because my family is such a key part of who I am.
I love getting together with the Ellers, and I’ll post special memories from that later this week. I love that my niece, Kim, who sometimes feels like my own, is traveling to be with us. I can’t wait to play cards with my mom, who only plays once a year and only with me as her partner.
But nestled in there will be that moment when I put it all aside to treasure what Christmas really means. Not a specific date. Not a tree. Not decorations, or food, or even family.
Jesus came so that we could know God fully. Every boundary broken. Every high place torn down. So that we could freely embrace the Creator of the Universe and know and feel what that means.
If we are honest, Christmas isn’t intended to be reserved for a day, but if this day will allow me to share with you or others what it means to follow Christ, or if it stops me long enough to recognize this great gift, then it’s a beautiful day.
You see, following Christ is really misunderstood sometimes, and I get that. But if you and I could sit across from each other and just hang out, I’d love to tell you what it means to know God intimately, to realize that He’s real and more than just a church service or a tradition, that following Him alters completely the direction and scope of your life. It changes you. It changed me, and continues to do so.
He is my shelter, but also the One who has pushed me far beyond any place or comfort zone in my personal walk.
He is my comfort, but also the One who won’t allow me to settle, so at times I want to push Him away because I’d love to embrace the human feelings that say, “just forget it, forget you”. And He reminds me that I want to live life free, so it’s time to put down those feelings — again, and grow.
He’s my Healer. On the inside, as well as physically. And if the physical healing didn’t come, He is my Lord, and I’ve learned to trust Him.
Why Christmas? Such a great question. Because Christ is so much bigger than we realize, and the impact of knowing Him so much greater, and so much more challenging than just celebrating a day.
This is my prayer, for me and for you today.
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:19
I wish you the best Christmas ever.
Your friend, Suzie
RSS feed for comments on this post.
The URI to TrackBack this entry is:
http://www.tsuzanneeller.com/2009/12/23/why-christmas/trackback/
This is soooo beautiful
December 24th, 2009 at 12:11 pm