Christmas Time

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone! I am so excited that the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is among us. This is such a joyous and loving time of year, or at least it should be. It’s so unfortunate that many people allow the commercialization of Christmas to totally overshadow the TRUE meaning of Christmas. On yesterday, my husband and I visited our previous church and heard a wonderful message delivered by the First Lady. She spoke on how the celebration of the birth of Jesus, which was meant to free us, is often met with people allowing themselves to get bound by debt. She made a very good point in explaining just how people get so caught up in buying gifts that they can’t afford then later feeling overwhelmed with all of the debt that was accumulated at Christmas time.

Most of us like to bless others with nice gifts or find ourselves on the receiving end of such. However, this is not what Christmas is all about. I actually found myself feeling a bit unsettled when I came to the realization that my Christmas gift list would have to be cut in half of what it has been in previous years. Before having our second child earlier this year, I made a personal sacrifice to stop working for a year to focus on being a stay at home mom. Because of this sacrifice, we have had to exclude most of the “extras” from our budget, including many Christmas gifts that we would’ve normally purchased. After I had a very brief pity party, I thought about what Christmas is REALLY about. Our Father gave his only Son for you and I to experience eternal life, and that is the best gift that anyone could ever give or receive! John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” With that being said, there is no reason for any of us to feel bad about not being able to give the gifts that we would like to give. That is NOT what Christmas is all about.

If you find yourself in a situation where you feel bound by the over commercialization of Christmas, please take a few moments to reflect on John 3:16. Don’t let a celebration of freedom bind you through tricks of the enemy. Your friends and family should be able to accept whatever you are willing to give them for Christmas, even if it's an act of kindness or a simple “I love you” accompanied by a hug.

We are so blessed to have Christmas fall on Sunday this year. This affords us an opportunity to go into the house of the Lord and assemble with the saints on the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Don’t use Christmas as an excuse to stay out of church, when it is the main reason that we should be in church. “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.” (Psalm 122:1). It is my prayer this blog post is well received, it's not meant to be preachy in nature, but I had to share what the Lord put on my heart.

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to contactsavedmom@gmail.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M