Reality

Dear friends, carefully build ourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life! Jude 1:20-21

Well, my reality lately has been way too busy and way too stressed. I apologize for not blogging sooner. November hit me like a ton of bricks. Thankfully, the Angel Touch Memorial Service was beautiful (thanks to our speakers and singers). And I made it through the toughest week of my life at Impact Rehab (I had 21 on the schedule last Wednesday…just for me!). December has just begun and my calendar is already filling up. I am having trouble enjoying each day since I am so worried about getting things done for the next day!

The good news is Jesus has come! Unlike the reality shown by the media, I know that Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of my King. I don’t need to have a home decorated like Better Homes and Gardens (I mean, who does?). I don’t need to buy the most expensive and cutting edge presents for my family though the commercials think I do. I certainly don’t need to make every moment a lasting memory like the advertisements pressure you to do. The reason that our favorite childhood memories stick is not because someone took a crazy amount of time to create them. We love them because they include people who cared about us and traditions that were fun. We see people in magazines having fancy parties or elaborate meals on Christmas day, but I remember listening to records just as a family while we decorated the tree. My favorite meals were potluck because I got to try so many kinds of desserts!

The author is right that you really have to be careful what you believe these days. Everything can be deceiving. People even pride themselves in this kind of advertisement. And no one’s life is like the movies…even if they star in them. I mean, how many actors are in rehab or kill themselves? As we already know, they are no happier than we are. And though they may not have the struggles that we do (screaming children all day, trying to find something to cook for dinner, attempting to fit exercise in) they have their own issues. And most of them don’t have Jesus to turn to. He tells us to cast our cares on Him because He cares for us. Now that is reality. The truth is that Jesus came to earth as a baby so many years ago. He lived a perfect life and yet was crucified for our stupid choices…some because we bought into lies that were told through media, co-workers, even family. Don’t buy into the false reality that Christmas is about gifts and cookies and parties. Decide now to only do things that bring you and your family true joy this year. Show your children the true meaning of Christmas and watch as everything else just falls into place!