Monday, December 10, 2012


 Christmas Bridges

 In fifteen days, Christmas arrives.

 Children love the excitement of special programs, school vacation, and gifts to open. Adults anticipate an end to the frazzled holidays and a return to normal routines.

 Christmas often brings family and friends together who otherwise make a point to avoid each other.  This yearly get-together is fraught with tension and anxiety. Fears of hearth and home assault our minds and make us miserable.

What if I accidentally say something that antagonizes dad again?
Mom will reprimand my kids.
I never do anything to please my in-laws.
My gifts won’t measure up to theirs.
Aunt Sally doesn’t approve of my tattoos.
Grandma Bootsy dislikes my husband.
Uncle Bob talks politics non-stop.
Cousin Kay expects me to bow down to her.
If Grandpa teases me about me green hair again, I’ll scream.
 
And the throb of misery continues as we anticipate family hostilities on the Holiest of Days.
When the angels appeared to the shepherds, they spoke these words: “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to all men.”
 So on days where many of us experience family wretchedness, what happened to glory to God and the peace on earth? Hmmm. God receives no worship through our animosity to mankind, and we receive no peace from our bickering back and forth.
 When the angels uttered these words, “peace to men,” they weren’t proclaiming a war of words would conclude or countries would forever be at a ceasefire.  The angels meant that Jesus is the bridge that crosses us into God’s acceptance.
 
Jesus came to Earth, giftwrapped in cloth. You see, His Father sent this bundle of salvation and laid it in a manger. And God’s gift came circled with a blood red ribbon. Each day, the beautiful package begs for someone to open the box and claim this costly gift.

 
Thus, through this offering from heaven, we can have peace with God.  Just not always with our families and each other.
Wouldn’t be remarkable if this Christmas we build a bridge with our family members as God did to us?
 
Glory to God in the Highest, and may we have peace on earth this season at our household gatherings.
 
 



 
Posted by

10 comments:

  1. Jacqueline HopperDecember 10, 2012 at 8:22 AM

    Beautiful reminder! Well said.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousDecember 10, 2012 at 8:33 AM

    Great thoughts, expressed so beautifully.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gay N LewisDecember 10, 2012 at 8:34 AM

    Thanks Jacqueline, and Merry Christmas to you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mary L. BallDecember 10, 2012 at 8:37 AM

    Yes Gay, I can feel the pain. We all have a bit of those situations, but thank goodness in chaos of the holidays-we have Jesus.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gay N LewisDecember 10, 2012 at 8:47 AM

    And is't it amazing that most of these situations intensify at Christmas? They keep our minds from the joy of Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kimberly B JacksonDecember 10, 2012 at 9:01 AM

    Gay,

    So true. I myself have anxiety about getting together with both sets of family.
    I just need to remember it's not about me, it's about Jesus.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Victoria Pitts-CaineDecember 10, 2012 at 11:34 AM

    Thank you for reminding us of the real joy and reason for Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bonnie McCuneDecember 10, 2012 at 11:44 AM

    Life is too short to worry about incidentals. Each of us can take joy in what pleases us.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Kim McMahillDecember 10, 2012 at 3:15 PM

    Well said. It's easy to forget the true meaning for the season with the bombardment of commercialism and modern-day expectations. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Gay N LewisDecember 11, 2012 at 6:11 AM

    So true Bonnie and Kim.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

PBG Insider: Gay N. Lewis Introduces her "Sarah" series

Sarah at Christmas

Sarah at Christmas