Christmas Without Words

I am not going to lie..... the day after Thanksgiving was a really hard day for me. I sat in an empty home wondering now what. It was clear that I was to make the next step.  It was the day I realized that it was time for me to take responsibility for my own holiday cheer and life experiences. So I vowed to myself that I would search for the true meaning of Christmas for myself. I prayed that God would reveal Christmas to me in new ways, that he would knock me off my feet with the true meaning of this time of year and that my eyes would be opened to things beyond my own expectations. 

I then went to a good friends home and "read" a Children's Christmas book that did not have any words it was all pictures. It is called "A Small Miracle" by Peter Collington. (Great book for any age) After looking at this authors depiction of Christmas and definition of small miracles all done with pictures and not words....I realized that it was my responsibility to write my own Christmas Story without words. Search for Christmas without words.

Here is my Christmas Story that the Lord shown me without words....

1. Christmas is realizing that friends are your family. Friends who spend time with you even when you don't want to spend time with yourself. Friends who come with you to places you don't want to go alone. Friends who travel long distances just to see you and share in your life story. The act of friendship is so vital to Christmas. Christmas is about connections and the Lord has revealed those connections to me in large ways this holiday season. Connecting through holding hands with a child, connecting with praying with youth, connecting with warm chocolate chip cookies in a shopping mall, connecting with phone conversations. 

2. Christmas is realizing that the world is broken. This is a big one for me. We see Christmas cards, sing Christmas songs, and watch Christmas movies with families and friends who all get together and share in holiday cheer. Reality is that Christmas is full of brokenness and our Savior was born for our brokenness. Unlike the families on Christmas cards, movies, and songs our lives are broken and not always full of holiday spirit and cheer. I have been invited into the broken lives of others. Lives that are full of change, heartache, loneliness, and anxiety. It is comforting to know that you can still experience the grace of Christ's birth during our brokenness. Nobody is perfect and it takes one decision to completely change or lives for the better or for the broken. I am blessed to be previewed to others brokenness, knowing all along that it is okay to be broken myself. Jesus was born to bring Joy to our world....a true joy that can only be experienced when we are broken down to our core and brought face to face with the baby in the manger. 

3. Christmas is in laughter. For some reason since I prayed for God to reveal Christmas to me in new ways.... laughter has become louder for me. There is nothing more Christ-filled than laughter from a child. True joy coming from the mouths of children. Laughter is so important to our lives and the Lord has provided many opportunities for laughter in my life these past few weeks. I take laughter for granted. I heard laughter last night that brought me closer to Christ... unexpected laughter in an unexpected situation. Laughter in bounce houses, laughter on car rides, laughter among friends, among tears, among strife. Laughter is Christmas. 

4. Christmas is forgetting about the past and looking to the future.  Philippians 3:12-14 is such an amazing scripture that reminds me that Christmas is not only about right now... it is about our future. If we set our eyes only on the anticipation of the empty manger..... once it is filled there is a perception that it is over. Christmas is over.... Christ is in the manger..... we are done! In all actuality, the baby in the manger is just the beginning. I am blessed to be in a profession where I can pray and read scripture on a daily basis, where I am asked to make connections with others who are seeking out a relationship with our Creator, where I can be blessed by amazing youth who show me that the future is worth straining towards. When we forget about our past hurts and hang and look forward to what lies ahead we are recognizing that the baby who was born in a barn died on the cross for us to have a future.  One of the best gifts we have been given is too large to fit under our trees, but yet is small enough to fit into our hearts. I have discovered that the baby in the manger, the new beginning, the blessed gift is here to guide our future. 

 My prayer for you is that you are able to write your Christmas story with out words. That you experience Christ's birth through the actions of others. May your eyes are opened to what lies ahead. I pray that you experience the gift of friendship, laughter, brokenness, and a new future. 

Merry Christmas!