Christmas: festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

Over time the devil has clasped his slimy fingers over the holiday and turned it into a Santa worshiping, greedy, materialistic month of stress.

Kids place there trust in Santa hoping to have there dreams fulfilled. If they only turned there eyes to Jesus they would find security and love instead of trinkets that little brothers break.

Everyone else scurries around. Stressed to the max. Food to make, presents the find, buy and give, Decorations to put up and cleaning the house to get it ready for guests. Forget Jesus. I have way too much stuff to do so that I can celebrate Christmas.

The media tells you what you deserve for Christmas. You need this that and the other thing.

STOP! STOP! STOP! I cant stand it anymore! In a way I just want to barf. It is so sickening. Nothing about Jesus. And what I think Christians are missing is that all they think of is the little baby in a manger. They don’t think of what this world would be like with out Jesus.

 Because Jesus came we can face tomorrow- peace. Because Jesus came we don’t have to be slaves of circumstances but live in joy.

Here I am crying into my pillow. I want to escape. I’m so so so so so sick of the materialistic stuff going on. The worship/focus of presents is gross.

I just want to be with the people I love. Lets leave the greed and dissatisfaction of what was received or not received behind. I don’t hate presents and gift giving, in fact, I love buying and giving people presents. Right now I just wish that I could run away from it all. I’m not starving for peace, love and joy. In me and in the people around me.

God has been working on me… 

A few weeks ago, I studied peace in bible study.   Peace that passes understanding.  Wow.   I realized how much I was in need of that peace.  Especially with all the worrying that I have been dong.  I prayed about it. 

God is good to the core and I don’t need to worry, instead I can trust in Him and experience His peace. 

Applying it to my life:

Leaving the farm, no longer having permanent housing and not knowing where I might be living one week for today is not easy.  It is stressful.  I feel at peace about it.   Jehovah-jireh  knows what he is doing.

My family is considering becoming missionaries to Mongolia.  Suddenly all my earthly plans are blown out of the window.  No, I will not be able to go to bible school, and do this and that and the other thing.  It messes with all the normalness that I have.  God has given me peace about this also.  If God wants me to go hang out and serve some Mongols, then so be it.  Grin.

And last and but surly not least.  God has given me peace though Paige Victoria Beth’s life.  A couple of weeks ago I spent a day fasting for Paige. It looked like there was no hope.  I was gunna pray for healing but then I ended up focusing on God’s will.     I wanted healing so so bad.  Yet I chose to trust God for His will in her life.   Saturday night, I got upset about it again but chose to trust in His will for her life not my own.  30 minutes later she when to heaven.  I cried in church.  And then I remembered that her death IS God’s will.  Why am I weeping over God’s will, his perfect plan that is good to the core?   Though out this week, I have had a beautiful peace surrounding me.  The tears have been here and there, but I have peace. 

And really it doesn’t make sense… It surely does pass understanding.  That is my God for you.  He is all about doing it up big.

When Jesus said “peace be with you.”  That means something to me.  And I’ll shout a hardy ‘amen’ to that!