Christmas

This is my favorite time of the year. It has such tremendous meaning.

I want to encourage each of you not to forget the meaning of the holiday season. Parents please, teach your children that this time of year is not about gifts. I realize there is a lot of pressure from our society concerning gifts, but there is so much more to this celebration than giving gifts to our children.

Here's a thought that might help some parents balance their gift giving. You're desire to give gifts to your children is not bad. It's actually the way God made us. It is inbred in us to love our children and give them gifts. Simply put, it is a reflection of God's image. God loves us deeply and he desires to give us gifts. So, put away the condemnation that it's not okay to give gifts to your children.

Balance is the key word. If our entire Christmas season is built around gifts and shopping, it is then that we have lost our focus. Christmas is about Jesus choosing to come to earth in the form of a child and then ultimately giving his life on a cross some 30 years later. Keep your focus on Jesus and the pressures of our society won't seem near as heavy. That peer pressure to buy your kids all the best will dim greatly in the light of Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Jesus!!