Tag: Thanksgiving

Holidays hurt sometimes…


I have had loved ones in my family who passed away on different holidays in the past, one even passed from this life on my birthday 33 years ago. Today, there are many who suffer from feelings of loneliness and depression during the holidays, even when families are together. It is hard to understand how you can feel lonely with family around you, but you can.

Sometimes the world thinks that Christians aren’t supposed to get sick or feel lonely because they belong to God. But, in this life…right now, we are human and we get sick, we feel depression and loneliness and every other illness which is out there as well. The only time which we will be able to claim no sickness or bad feelings like depression will be when we are in Heaven or we have crossed over into eternity.

Could God give us this great show of His power today? Yes, He could if He wanted to but that isn’t part of His plan. Every person who is a Christian could live forever and never be sick if God planned it that way but He didn’t. It isn’t because He doesn’t love us because He does, but we aren’t given this privilege above others. Humanity is God’s image in this world because we are made in His image, but we don’t act like it very much.

As humans, we act as we were raised and sometimes we just haven’t been raised in a good environment. Some of us come from broken homes, some live in poverty and want in some of the worst areas of the world. Conditions which most of us in America can’t imagine. Even in America, there is hunger and homelessness and poverty and many people think that we should be sharing the wealth so that this doesn’t happen.

If we tried communism, who would decide how much is given to who? Because that is the system which tries to “spread the wealth around”. But in most communist countries, those in power get more than anyone else, so those in power tend to bring their friends and family into that group and they have more than everyone else.

The Pilgrims tried this when they started out in the first few years of their colony but it didn’t work out well. People were fighting over who got what and how much, and that is what would happen today if we tried it again.

Holidays do hurt because it shows just how materialistic we have become. Some get really nice toys and stuff and some don’t. So what determines the amount of spread when you decide how much and to whom? Communism is that way, but those who are corrupt in a Democratic Republic like ours will be just as corrupt, if not more, in a communistic society.

Yes, holidays cause hurt and pain and sometimes cause a lot of resentment among those who have a little more than the next person. Usually, this is due to credit and not real wealth which is another reason why our country is so divided.

Holidays cause division, sometimes more than we realize. It happens in families and in communities and in cities, so what should we do? Outlaw celebrations of significance such as Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years? What real good would that do? Not very much I would think. Taking holidays away won’t stop the division between people and it won’t take away the depression or other problems which we see. Just as gun control won’t get rid of crime or shootings, getting rid of religion and holidays will have no effect on our social divisions.

God loves us and He has given each of us gifts which allow us to serve Him in some ways but also to serve each other too. The only way to find your gift from Him is to ask Him to show it to you and the only way to do that is to know Him and be known by Him. Be as much like Jesus the Christ, our Savior and Messiah, as you can and if you haven’t asked Him into your life please do so soon. God’s timetable is running down and sometime soon, He will call the church home. Don’t be one of those still here afterward.

What kind of Christmas do you celebrate?


In most of the world that is industrialized, this time of year is a very hectic time of year. Everyone that has a business is having sales. They are open early and stay open late all for the reason of making the most sales, and the most profit during the Christmas season. But, the question is “What kind of Christmas do you celebrate?” Are you working through it, having to get to work early and stay later to take care of all of those shoppers? Are you working longer hours so you can afford to give your children lots of toys that will be lying around or broken by the end of February?

Or, do you celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ during this season? Most of us know that He was not born on December 25, the early church used a pagan holiday to try to make some converts and that is why that date was chosen. Nowhere in the Scriptures does it say the exact date, unless there is a record of the census taken under Caesar and that is not likely after two thousand years. Jesus is the true reason for the season but do most people celebrate His birth during this time of year? Unfortunately, many people do not.

They celebrate the holidays by giving gifts and by going to parties. Some give thanks at Thanksgiving, but are they giving thanks for what is or should be important in their lives or are they thankful for things which will not last? Then after Christmas, comes the New Year celebration where people determine that they will do better this next year, they will be a better person or be less of a person by years end (by dieting).

So, with all of these promises and things, what is the important lesson that has been learned by years end? How much stuff still works since last year? How much weight did I lose or gain in the course of the year? All of these things are great, to an extent, but what literal good comes from an Xbox or a PlayStation?

What is the message that your children get from the games that they immerse themselves in? Did the diet really get you back to your jeans from high school? I don’t even have any jeans from that period of my life! If I did, there is no way I could fit in them, with any kind of diet short of a hunger strike!

We have put far too much into the “consumer” part of living, and have left out the most important part…living! Stuff that is bought for Christmas should never replace the One that the season is about in the first place, because He is your Savior and if He is not, then He should be. Take the time to read the book of Luke, chapter 2 verses one through twenty with your family if possible. Pray about the meaning of His birth to you and the world and ask God to show you what you mean to Him, it may surprise you when you find the answer.