How to get around Christ in Christmas

The tune from Queen "Under Pressure" came to mind when I realized readers are waiting for this next post! lol!!! Thanks mom for explaining why I've not been posting as much lately. With two little who seem to be constantly sick, it's been tough to get online long enough to type anything worth reading. lol

I'd like to say that I'm only speaking from my opinion here and realize that everyone and every family is different. My dh is atheist and I'm a born again Christan in love with Christ so my experience comes from that background.

So, just how does an atheist celebrate Christmas? It's far easier than you think. In fact I don't think the world has even been paying attention to what Christmas really is. It just seems to me that Christmas is all about giving gifts and the spirit of giving with Santa being the delivery guy.

In my little home it seems like we've been living with some blinders on. We put up a tree all decked out with Santa and decorate the house with shiny balls and sparkly lights. We bake cookies and drink hot coco. We rent holiday movies to give us warm fuzzy holiday feelings. And then there's the spirit of giving. You know what? I just think that the spirit of giving is false and it's a lie. I feel like it's been pushed on us as a society and the pressure is becoming incredible. Kids are demanding more and more and the true joy has been lost. I truly believe there is no real joy in shiny new things. I say that not because I'm weird but because I've actually seen it played out with my own children. You know what I've noticed? The more they get the LESS happy they are! It's true!

So the way you get around Christ in Christmas is by filling it up with a bunch of holiday celebrations and getting so caught up and so busy that you actually forget what Christmas REALLY is. It's the joy that our sweet Savior was born!

Celebrating Christmas with an atheist

I can tell this Christmas is going to be VERY special for me this year. I'm so excited to celebrate the birth of my risen Savior! How sweet and wonderful He is. I get teary eyed just thinking of Him as a sweet innocent little babe.

I can now understand why they came to adore Him as a babe. Just think of it, a babe is so innocent, so trusting and so vulnerable. How awesome to think of that babe as our Savior. Oh it's so sweet I could cry.

I can't wait for Christmas so I can sing to Him and tell Him how much I love Him. How special He is to me. How much I adore and treasure Him. He is the lover of my soul, my joy and my delight! I want to honor Him.

Now switch your mind to celebrating Christmas with an atheist. How flat is that? How empty, how meaningless. How sad.

I wish with all my heart my husband could understand the true joy in Christmas. I used to think that Christmas was about family and in many ways it still is. I'll be visiting with my family for Christmas and I'm so looking forward to that. BUT Christmas is different this year. It's more than just family, way more!!! There is a joy in my heart that wants to sing out!!!!!!

Christmas has such meaning!!! The Savior is born!!! He is our hope, our joy, our peace!!! He is our way!

There aren't enough words to describe it, it's so awesome!!!!!

My heartfelt prayer; Oh Lord, how wonderful you are!!! Happy Birthday!! Thank you for You!!! I give thanks for your birth! You are awesome, you are amazing and thrilling! I don't need a man in a red suit, I just need you! How empty is Christmas without you! I only want to think of you and worship and adore You. You my Lord are all I need and You are enough for me! I love you!!

My next post will be titled "Exactly how does an atheist celebrate Christmas?" I'll be sharing how my husband gets around the Christ in Christmas.

Some verses I needed to hear

1 Corinthians 6:11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

John 17:16-19 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Romans 8:1-3 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man

A lesson on grace and mercy

Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

I wonder when you ask the Lord for something, like say patience, does it suddenly just zap into your heart and instantly you are a patient person?

Well for me it hasn't been that way. For me when I ask for something it seems the Lord teaches me things through a lesson. I don't just easily and instantly receive something like that. It takes a little pain for me to grow and change.

So this past Thursday I was thinking on grace and mercy.

Merriam Webster Online defines grace as: disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency

and mercy as: compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power; also : lenient or compassionate treatment

So this past Thursday we were flying with my brother and sister in law and all four of our kids to Miami. My husband and I arrived at the airport on time and found our brother in law was running late. Not unusual at all so we decide to go ahead and check in. We make the line, show our ID's and hear the man at the counter say, "Are you flying today? You aren't in the system." The words I dreaded to hear. I knew when traveling with them that I would need a lot of patience since they are always running late but I didn't expect rushing to the airport to find out we don't have tickets. Ugh.......

It seems that brother in law made a mistake and purchased the tickets for Friday NOT Thursday so I watched the kids while the adults tried to change all the tickets and find an available flight out that night.

So there I am with four screaming kids in the airport and a decision to make. Do I get angry at brother in law? I mean, how could someone make a mistake like that? I think back to the entire stressful day of rushing and packing and getting to the airport with two little ones and now I'm told there are no tickets????? I felt like I could scream!

All the sudden the words grace and mercy came to me. I'm standing in line with four kids, stressed to my breaking point and two little words change everything. Grace and mercy.

How much grace and mercy do I want and need in my life? How much grace and mercy do I need from my Lord? How much grace and mercy does He lovingly and freely give me?

I knew then what I had to do. I needed to show some grace and mercy. So instead of getting SO upset I let it go.

And you know what? Grace and mercy feels SO much better than anger and impatience.

In the end we got on a flight and made it to Miami and I thank the Lord for reminding me of those two LITTLE words that have such BIG meaning.