By Leo Hellyer
The Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season is quite a mixed bag. There are so many emotions floating around. Children are usually excitedly waiting for Christmas Day when they find out what gifts have been provided for them under the Christmas tree. This time of year is often a time for family reunions. This is a time when many people attend multiple office parties or gatherings with family and friends.
This is also the time of year when many people start to think about taxes and year-end giving. This could be the first holiday without someone, because they are deployed, in college, separated, divorced, disenfranchised, or deceased. This is the time of year when many feel inadequate because times are tight and they cannot provide for their loved ones at a level that they feel they should or want to.
As with every other time of the year, if we as Christians will call upon the Lord, He will be with us this; He will magnify our joy and ease our discomfort. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 we read, “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ concerning you.” Believe me, I know that it is very difficult to give thanks for everything. Even though it may be very difficult for us to rejoice evermore and to be happy in all things, the closer we can get to realistically comprehending that somehow God will grow us through this experience, and the better off we will be. Most of the time, particularly if we focus on God in our pain, He will indeed increase our level of faith that He is in control and that He will guide us through any situation we may find ourselves in.
Those of us who live in the United States have much to be thankful for. The population of the U.S. is approximately 4.2% of the 8.32 billion people in the world. Much of the population of America has a great deal to be thankful for, especially when you look at the rest of the world. Let me list just a few of the aspects of living in the United States that are different than most of the world.
We live in safe, structurally sound, weatherproof dwellings, with running water, electricity, and functioning sanitary waste disposal. We have one, if not more, reliable means of personal motorized transportation. We have an abundance of clothing for all seasons; we have a myriad of outlets providing a seemingly unending supply of food items; a vast majority of us have multiple TVs and computers in our houses. In many parts of the world Christians would love to have one page out of the Bible, while most U.S. households — Christian and many non-Christian — have multiple copies of the entire Bible.
We are an abundantly blessed group of people. God has shown His favor upon us. In Ephesians 5:20 it makes it clear that we are to be, “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of Jesus Christ.” In addition to all of the other things that we need to be thankful for, we need to be thankful that God Almighty, the God of Creation, loved you and me so much that He sent His only Son to Earth as a baby. This baby then grew to adulthood as the only human being who has ever lived a 100% sinless life. The only Son of God, Jesus Chris, was then put to death on the cross and was resurrected out of the tomb three days later. That sacrifice, that love, was the only way that we as flawed sinful beings could live in the presence of God for eternity.
In addition to being thankful for all things, we also have a responsibility, a mission, and a calling as a believer and as a born-again Christian to do everything that we possibly can to ensure that the truth of Christmas, the real “Reason for the Season”, is proclaimed wherever we are. Whenever someone greets us with “Happy Holidays”, we need to respond in a very loving manner: “Merry Christmas, God loves You”.
We see all kinds of beautiful, shimmering, twinkling lights in celebration of Christmas, but each of us, as individual Christians, can be the most beautiful light as we light up a world of darkness with the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ at Christmas and throughout the entire year. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” The light of truth will shine through us as we live out our lives, loving others in the name of Christ.
Live out your life however God arranges it. Have a loving, willing, flexible heart. Let God set up the divine appointments. Be in frequent communication with God. A huge part of that communication with God needs to be silent at times, eagerly awaiting His loving, perfectly timed execution of your next encounter with one of His sheep. Be obedient to His direction, selection, and timing. In all honesty, His timing for each divine moment may not be at a very convenient time for you, but it will be the perfect time for who He wants you to minister to.
As citizens of this great nation, we have much to be thankful for. If we will live our lives in a godly manner that openly displays that thankfulness, we will receive limitless blessings from our Father in Heaven who loves us unconditionally. The best way to enjoy our blessings is to share them with others. The more we share with no expectations of return, the more we are given. Love God, love others, and be blessed.
Leo Hellyer is a widower who was married to his wife Norma for 53 years, and who has served with Boise Rescue Mission for over 26 years.
