Season Greetings From Our Family To Yours

As a follower of Christ, this is a very special time of the year for me and our family. It is the time of year we celebrate the birth of Saviour, Jesus Christ. When He was born, hope and salvation for mankind entered into this world, too. He offers forgiveness, mercy, grace, salvation and peace to all who will repent of their sins and accept Him into their hearts. He is the ultimate gift of love from our heavenly Father to the people He lovingly created. That is why it is so sad to see so much rancor, bitterness, and hate surround this time of year. 

I will freely admit that a lot of it comes from people calling themselves "Christians." There are those that preach against Santa Claus because they see him as a sign of evil. Others get so defensive when it comes to keeping Christ in Christmas and adamant about saying Merry Christmas.  They refuse to see and respect the right of others to celebrate this time of the year as they see fit. Not everyone believes Jesus is the reason for the season. There are also that group of "Christians" that make themselves feel like they have done their duty to God by attending the one and only church service they attend all year - the Christmas Eve or Day service. It makes them feel good about themselves, however, there is nothing in their lives that reflect the light of Jesus. 

This time of year also brings out intolerance and disrespect by those of different religions or those that have no religion. They get so resentful of any public displays that in any way shape of form showcase the birth of Christ. They demand that public places and stores use Happy Holidays or Season Greetings instead of Merry Christmas. They want to celebrate this time of year the way they want to but want to deny those that have faith in God the right to do so. 

All of these points of view collide to make a time of year when love, peace, joy, and hope into a time of year into a time of strife. The bickering about the different points of view, the lack of tolerance for other people's beliefs or traditions, and the lack of respect for others makes for a stressful atmosphere where no one wins. 

Last week, I was in Walmart and walked by a shirt that caught my interest and got me to thinking about several different things. Those thoughts lead to me putting up a FB post on my personal page. I would like to share it with you. 

"In Walmart this morning, I walked by a shirt that said "It is okay to say Merry Christmas". I thought yes, it is, but it is also okay to say Happy Holidays or Happy Hanukkah or Happy Winter Solstice. Now, don't get me wrong as a follower of Christ I want to be able to tell people Merry Christmas and have it said back to me, but I am also okay with giving a non-believer another greeting and receiving it because, that is how they believe. 

I once was a fervent proponent of "Jesus is the reason for the season" and "we need to put Christ back into Christmas", however my view has changed. As a follower of Christ, Jesus is my reason for the season and my Christ is in my Christmas, but if a non-believer feels like that this season is a season of peace, love, family, food, fun, and presents that is fine with me. 

It is NOT my job as a follower of Christ to judge a person for their unbelief. God will do that in His own time and in His own way. My job is to be a living example of what it means to be a follower of Christ and to share what God has done in my life if I think they are ready to receive it. Each one of is entitled to our beliefs and respect works both ways. 

So many people misinterpret the scriptures on judging and get it all wrong. As followers of Christ and according to the scriptures, we are to judge and hold our fellow believers accountable for their lifestyles and actions, out of love for them. It is not for us to judge the non-believers, that is God's job. When we as followers of Christ start living according to God's principles and truths, when we put the Christ back in the word Christian, then maybe, just maybe, we can change the minds and attitudes of the non-believers and make Jesus the reason for the season for all of us. Merry Christmas!"

My wish for this holiday season is that all of us set aside our differences and find our common ground. It doesn't have to be all my way and it doesn't have to be all your way. We can come to an understanding without compromising any of our principles. It has worked very well with our niece and nephew-in-law. They choose not to do Santa Claus with their children. Although it was hard for us to understand why they didn't want to encourage what we believed to be one of those innocent rites of childhood, we all recognized and respected that they had a right to raise their children as they see fit. Not once, has the different views caused a problem at any of our Christmas gatherings. It can be done, when we choose to do it. 

So during this time of year, our family would like to wish each and everyone of you and your family a ~Happy Holidays ~ Seasons Greetings ~ Happy Hanukkah ~ Happy Winter Solstice ~ or Merry Christmas, according to how you choose to believe or not! 

Simply trying to let my Saviour, Jesus, shine through my life, my actions, and the words I speak!