Merry Christmas
I was watching a cable news network yesterday and one of the anchors made the comment that because 5000 people showed up at a mall for a flash mob to sing Hallelujah, "this is a victory for Christmas." It seems that the 'fight' over the 'reason for the season' happens every year. Most notable is the debate on retailers saying Happy Holidays versus Merry Christmas. There are people who are offended if you say Happy Holidays and then there are people who are offended if you say Merry Christmas. There are arguments for both sides. And I understand both sides of the argument.
I am writing because I have learned that God will always be with me, whether a retailer says Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. I know that Christ arrived in the flesh and God sent Him to redeem ALL of us. So no matter where I am at in my life, no matter what situation I am in, God is always with me, you...us. I believe in this so much that I purchased two mezuzahs and put them up at the two main doors we exit every day. This is a Jewish custom. A mezuzah is a capsule. Inside of the the capsule is scripture from the old testament. This scripture states "for me and my house we will serve the Lord." The scripture within our mezuzah also has new testament scriptures that tells us that God will always be with us no matter where we are. The point of me putting the mezuzahs up is that as we leave our house, we touch it and the act of touching reminds us that we are God's children. It also reminds us that as we enter a world that is full of all sorts of wonderful people who have different faith traditions, God is with us and HE is with them and we are ALL of his children. They are all of my brothers and sisters.
Because I am not offended or am 'fighting' for my right to say Merry Christmas does that mean then that I am not a christian? I guess it depends upon your definition of 'being a christain.' I know what I believe. I know that I am a child of God and in Christ Jesus. Jesus was sent here by God to show us the way. I believe when you read the Bible and study what Jesus was/is trying to teach us: forget the rules and laws that keep you from having a relationship with God and from loving your brothers and sisters. Jesus was telling us the 'fight' is much larger. It is a fight within our own selves and within the world against evil. Evil side tracks us by disguising it self as being righteous. Blinding us from not seeing the true injustice that is so prevalent in this world. Evil will have us believe that Christmas and our belief that God sent His only son into this world to redeem us is taken away from us by a retail store deciding to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."
I ask us to think about this: Is Christmas taken away from someone in prison suffering for their belief in Jesus Christ? Is Christmas taken from those who are not able to afford to go to retailers and purchase gifts for their beloveds? So why are we offended when someone or a group of people choose to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas? Should we not be offended at the child sex trafficking that is so prevalent in our own cities? Should we not be offended by the lack of food, medical services, and availability of vaccines for children around the world? Or is it just 'easier' for us to be upset by people saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." My guess is that it is easier and evil has disguised itself as righteousness.
As we Christians prepare for the birth of Jesus, the Christ, we should also be reminded He was here, and will always be here. It is whether we choose to continually discern what God wants from us; not what others want from us and definitely not what the world wants from us. We know that evil would have us believe the most trivial of things can be disguised as righteous ("Happy Holidays" versus "Merry Christmas"). It is up to us to continually look to Christ for the way to live and to remember the true meaning of Christmas. Christ entered this world for ALL and because HE entered the world and redeemed it, we cannot be separated from God.
I was approached several years ago by a dear friend to start a spiritual blog site. We considered each other ‘spiritual gal pals’, and created a blog after something I had written for myself and had sent to a close friend, who asked to send it to a website. Within hours of her sending my post, they asked permission to publish it. After months my friend and I couldn't remember how to get onto our initial blog page so it eventually died.
This brings me up to date on the start of this particular blog. Over the years I have posted various ideas, challenges and thoughts about spirituality, God, church and religion on my Facebook page. I have received many comments and stories from people on how the posts have affected them. The idea about creating another blog was presented about a month ago when someone approached me and told me I should have a blog and offered to help with setting it up and reviewing some of my writing (thanks Anna J).
Over the years I have challenged my friends to 'walking a walk' that most of us proclaim we believe in. More specifically, if we call ourselves Christian, children of God, or follow any ‘brand’ of organized religion, what exactly does it mean? Are we doing more than just believing it in our head and speaking it with our mouths? Are we proclaiming to be these things, but then with our behavior show something quite different? I wanted to help others to determine for a fact what they believe in, because I think most of us don't know what we believe until we learn what we don't believe.
Now I know I may have lost many of you at this juncture. This is NOT a blog about cramming Christianity or any religion down anyone's throat. I think that has been done quite enough, and rather harmfully, for too many years. This is NOT what this blog is about. Screaming the loudest does not mean you are correct! Walking humbly in what is right and true, I believe, is the best example. There are millions of people who walk humbly in the light of God who are NOT Christian. That does NOT mean they are damned! God loves ALL people.
I will be posting my writing from past years as well as current writing. They are specifically meant for me. Many are posed as questions to me and some are conversations I have had with God. They are NOT meant to offend anyone, BUT if they do, I ask you to look at why it created such a reaction in you. During My Walk, I have learned when I react about what I have read or what someone has said, I need to take time and figure out why. Most, if not all, of the time my reaction stems from something about myself and not about that person, or what she said. I am thus able to take a new approach to what was said or done and see it in a different light.
I ask that when you read my musings to remember I am making myself vulnerable. Really, who wants to put their deepest thoughts and feelings out for all to read and criticize? So why am I doing this? Because I can't shake the feeling that I am supposed to be doing this. It won’t leave me alone. It haunts me. I risk everything by putting myself out there. I risk isolation from those I know. I risk being treated differently. I risk my family being affected somehow. I risk being labeled crazy and insane. I risk it all.
I am NOT a saint. I am not proclaiming to be better than anyone. I lack patience. I yell at my children. I become frustrated easily when I see others doing something I think I can do better. I am human. I can be, and am at times, unkind, unforgiving, even as I assume, and feel it my right, to be forgiven by others. I am quick to judge. Yet, during My Walk, I realize I am loved deeply and want to change. So daily I try, not just with what I say, but with how I behave and act. And, yes, many days I fall down on My Walk, but I get back up, brush myself off and put one foot in front of the other. Some days I may travel great distances, but most days I fall over and over again. This blog will be about those times as well.
So here is my disclaimer—I am walking. You may join My Walk. Some of you will start out with me and then decide this is not The Walk you envisioned. Some will join in at various points along My Walk. I know I will be walking alone for some of the time, because sometimes I am meant to walk alone. If and when you decide to join me, I will welcome your companionship.
