TODAY THE WORDS are CHRISTMAS PAST. With the upcoming Christmas season fast approaching, I thought it would be a good idea to step back in the past and stir up some memories of the most favorite times in our lives. This should bring a lot of warmth and nostalgic emotions as it certainly does for me.
Our family was never wealthy in anything but love. We had our share of problems and to a lot of people, we had to be dysfunctional in so many ways. One of the ways which counted as normal was during Christmas time. Momma and Daddy struggled to make ends meet, but somehow Christmas was always special. Momma would bake a fruitcake and I know how many of you cringed; we loved it and still do til today. We would watch as she would bake it and then wrap apples over the top to keep it moist; we then had to wait. Santa seemed to like our house as he had a habit of storing our presents there. Oh well, you already know what we four children would do; we hunted for the presents and if we found “Santa’s stash”, we carefully unwrapped them, looked at them, and carefully taped them. If I could bottle all of the adrenalin from that adventure, I would be wealthy today. We would act so surprised when it came time to open our unknown presents and would giggle together. As dysfunctional as it was, it brought the four of us children so close. Our parents were pretty smart and I feel they figured it out many times; they never let on to our little secret. I remember my Dad, with Momma’s approval reaching out to other families who were in need.
People today are so swept up in their own family’s material needs, I feel a lot of that special charity has disappeared. It might be a good idea to bring back “Christmas Past” and share more with our fellow man. I would love to have a piece of Momma’s fruitcake and hear both of my parents laughing and smiling at the wonder of little children. Enjoy this special time of year, share love and gifts with each other. Remember the reason for the season and when you give of yourself, think of the wonderful gift of salvation the Christ child brought to us by his earthly birth and death.Now for the deeper thought…..As pleasurable as all of the Christmas pasts were….Our thoughts should go to the present Christmas…..What we can do to make someone’s Christmas special. It doesn’t have to be costly, but it is the thought that counts. Even a special prayer, a kind word, an unexpected visit, taking the time to be kind, and better than all of this……spend time with someone who doesn’t realize how important Christmas, Jesus Christ’s birthday is for all of us. Share your testimony and give the person an opportunity to receive the best present he or she can receive…Salvation and Eternal Peace. Wow, what a gift that keeps on giving!
DAILY FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:
Proverbs 19:17 ESV
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed
(c) copyright 2014 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission.
