December 1st, the beginning of the Christmas season. The beginning of shopping till you drop, baking till you promise you will never eat another cookie again and the beginning of traditions. So many times, myself included, we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, that we take for granted the reason we have this holiday in the first place, which is to celebrate Christ's birth. The birth of a God that was fully man, the birth of a Savior, the birth of a miracle worker, the birth of a man that hung out with the diseased, the unpopular, the untouchables and the children.
So often we miss opportunities to bless those who need to see God in their lives. What if Christ put those people in that exact place, at that exact moment when He knew our paths would cross? What if we took some time to slow down and just be still and listen to God? What if we looked at the world through His eyes?
There have been examples in my life where I have seen God's people miss opportunities and where I have been strongly convicted by such instances. I remember during a business meeting at a church I attended, a discussion arose about a certain family that had been attending our services. They were not clean and not well-mannered. Apparently that caused a disturbance to some. It broke my heart during that meeting as I sat there with tears falling from my face, thinking about how unloving this whole situation was. I left the meeting and went to the restroom to bawl in silence. I know, with all that is in me, that this family is one that would have been at Christ's side and one that would even have been invited to dine with Him.
So the question came to my mind these past few weeks, "Who is Christ to me?". Yes, we can give Sunday School answers such as, King, Savior, friend, father, healer, etc. And those are all true. But, to me, Christ is also this; He is the person that takes a family that is dirty, poor and ill-mannered to lunch after church, He is the person who takes in orphans, He is the person who visits the elderly and adopts them as their own, He is the family that feeds the hungry, He is the child who gives bags of clothes and toys to the poor, He is the man that leaves his own family to help those involved in disasters, He is willing to be uncool and selfless and risk everything to save even one. That is who Christ is to me and that is who we are to be to this world.
I know that works is not what saves me. Christ on the cross saved me. But, it is quite selfish for me to keep all that to myself. When I think about all He has done for me, I feel like shouting from the rooftop and singing praises to Him. (And now that I work from home, I do!) When we can remember and truly take hold of the fact that we are free in Christ, it becomes natural to want others to experience the same thing.
So, during this Christmas season, try to remember who Christ is to you. Try to bless those around you during the craziness and busyness and traveling and eating. Be aware of your surroundings and have an open heart to those whose path you cross. It just might be someone Christ planted in your path, just for you to have the opportunity to bless them. Do you have traditions of blessing others during the Christmas season? Tell me what you do as a family to help those during this season and tell me...
Who is Christ to you?
