Month: December 2023

I don’t know about you, but there is a bit of dread as we head to 2024.  Since 2020, we have remained in a 48-month-long election cycle.  To say I am tired of political rancor and turbulence is quite an understatement.  Vying for power is quite ugly and brings out the worst in most people.  Then, often, the “worst” filters down to the rest of us becoming followers of bad behavior.

Congressmen are leaving Congress; people elect not to vote or care.  “I give up!” they say instead of “Let me try giving and doing more to help!”  Is the lousy conduct winning and creating more bullies?

 Some people applaud hate-filled rants and crave retribution.  “Let’s punish the world!” becomes a mantra instead of “Let’s encourage the world by our example!” 

Now, do you, too, dread 2024?  However, there is good news.

Now, the good news

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Savior.   God didn’t give up or not care, did he?  He sent his son to teach us how kindness, humility, and love bring us closer to Him.  Christ taught us not to fear death and to honor His Father in all we do.  And he didn’t mean only to do so on Christmas, Easter, or any given Sunday. 

I am constantly amazed at how folks can dismiss Christ’s instructions when it comes to politics.  It is as if our chosen candidates or political party preferences come before the words of God.  How does it become the “right” way in our minds when it is clearly the opposite of what we were taught?  How do we dismiss godliness when God is still alive and walking among us?

Does America win when we accept rude, intimidating, self-righteous behavior?  Maybe God needs to be the winner in 2024.  And the only way He can is by us being godlier every day in all aspects of our lives.

Christ was born in a lowly stable to show us that a king can rise from humble beginnings.  Jesus died as a villain to some, but again, he rose from the trials and tribulations of the hate placed upon him.  Folks couldn’t see who He was through their political blindness and allegiance to their leaders.  So, what has changed in 2023 years?

What we now know

Politics is not the answer to our problems, nor is a congressman or a president.  The response to our various issues is to find solutions with respectful compromise and better attitudes among our leaders and ourselves.   When we put our Savior in the middle of the conversation, we become stewards of His words.    And those who care must never give up or give in.  Christ sure didn’t, even as he suffered all the slings and arrows thrown at Him.  He uttered, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  They didn’t, but we do now.

   We know better than those who tormented Christ below the cross.  The difference is that we know God’s son lived on after his death.  He walked out of a tomb and showed the world the scars of living, yet his spirit remained and is with us now.  If only we believe that to be true.

That’s how we revive hope and dignity in 2024.  That is how we will be the world’s light and help the generations that follow us.  Rather than using the adage, “I am yelling and misbehaving  because I want to create a better America for my children,” why not say instead, “I want my behavior to reflect the words of my savior, and then America will be a better place for my children.”   

The glory God showed to us on Christmas night long ago should never become secondary to anything we do or are.  If you think about it, no greater leader has existed than the child born in the stable.  There has never been a more significant influence on Earth than Christ.   And the people didn’t elect him but instead chose by God to lead the people home.

Let’s not forget as we head to 2024 to take Christmas with us each day, to honor the Savior through our actions, and to remember that power lies only in the beautiful hands of God.

A friend unexpectedly passed away, and another is in the hospital with an undetermined illness.  A father has just entered hospice care, and a mother lost her only child.  Cancer will strike someone today, while another receives equally horrific news.

A loved one will betray another, a friendship will end, and someone will lose their job.  More children will die from the brutality of war or abuse while a teenager suffers an illegal drug overdose.

All of this is happening now to someone somewhere near us.  And even as I type these words, a tear falls for those who I know are suffering.  Sometimes, it is a struggle to find happiness and hope.

We live in a complicated world amid woe, fear, anger, division, and blame.  And sadly, we have gotten more accustomed to doing so.  It is as if the pandemic we lived through created an aftershock of negativity, mistrust, and doubt that we can’t seem to cure.  Unfortunately, there is no vaccine for animosity and vitriol.

Many political leaders fail miserably at providing one ounce of enlightenment or calm.   The behavior exhibited by those we expect to lead is often appalling and shameful.  Courage, dignity, honor, and godliness have succumbed to their insatiable need for power.   This is not a political party issue; it is, instead, a terrible personal flaw that affects multitudes. 

What to do?

So, what can we do to help turn things around, calm the outrage, and encourage respectful leadership? 

When I was a small child, my father rented a house on a vast farm in Tennessee.  I can close my eyes today and see the white fences framed around red barns and open lush green fields.   The idyllic ranch provided memories for a lifetime, even though we lived there for only two years.

It was Christmas Eve, 1954, when my excitement and a bout of asthma refused to allow me to sleep.  I crawled out of bed and went to the window to see if I could spy Santa heading toward the farm.  I pressed my nose against the cold windowpane and scanned the meadow behind the house.

The moon was full, and its glow illuminated the cows lying in the pasture beyond the fence.  Stars sparkled brilliantly in the clear sky as I watched the scene before me.  Suddenly, far in the distance, I saw the brightest star I had ever seen. 

As a child, I didn’t understand that Christ was born long ago; instead, I thought he was reborn every Christmas.  So, I believed that Jesus’s birth was occurring out in the pasture under that beaming light behind our house!

I wanted to run to my parents but knew I would be in trouble for being up at such a late hour, so I didn’t wake them.  I wish I had because my asthma vanished when I saw the star and knew it was Jesus.

The window of our souls

We can succumb to the despair and darkness in our world or look for the light.  Our leaders will not find our peace; it is up to us to be peaceful.   We have many problems and much heartache during our days here on Earth.   And so many times, we search for remedies for our troubles in the back corners of shallowness instead of the open fields of understanding. 

We follow and applaud idols living in mansions instead of the baby born in a stable and wonder why we aren’t out of our self-imposed pandemic of hostility.

The only way to live through the deaths, the betrayals, the broken friendships, and failed leadership is to look out the window of our souls and find the child born on the first Christmas.  The son of God came to aid us and give us the wisdom and strength to endure our trials and tribulations.

Christ is not a religion that lives in a church.  He lives in our homes, walks in our fields, and abides in our hearts.  He is our leader who is with us below the stars.  And if we seek him,  we will understand how to soothe the anger and stop the evil ones who use hate to win instead of love to ease our pain.

So, as we head to the final chapter of 2023 and this holiday season, I pray we can each look up and not down, forward and not backward, and find the hope and happiness only the child born in the manger can provide.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”  Psalms 46:1.

God sent His son on a star-filled holy night to remind us that He is.

She was only 24 and being wheeled into surgery to remove a brain tumor.  During the long operation, her heart stopped.  The staff recorded the time of death at 10:55 am.   The team of doctors and nurses struggled to revive her, but only to find out later that she was disappointed they did so.  While unresponsive, Angela floated away to find an indescribable freedom and meet the Lord’s face.  Just as He was ready to take her hand, she returned to the body she had left behind in the operating room.

Once in recovery, she told the doctor what she experienced.  She said she noticed the clock on the operating room wall before leaving.  “What time was it ?” the surgeon asked.  She answered, “It was 10:55 am.”

When I had the good fortune to meet this lovely lady, she possessed an illuminating aura one couldn’t ignore.  However, the doctors were unable to remove the entire cancerous lesion from her brain.  She passed away less than a year later with no fear of death and no hesitancy to leave only because of her faith in a child who was born long ago.

In the early seventies, I walked into my bathroom with a bottle of pills, determined to end my life.  Depression overwhelmed me, and I could not see a way out.  I didn’t understand why I was the way I was, but my strength was gone, and my fight to find a reason ended.  Just as I held the water in one hand and the pills in the other, for some unknown explanation, I flushed them down the toilet and threw the water in the drain.

I ran to my bedroom, fell to my knees, and prayed.  I knew something or someone stronger than I was stopped me from ending my life.

The Savior

 You see,  I didn’t realize at the time I was expecting a child.  Today, I often stop to gaze at the beautiful grown woman this child has become, and I know she is wonderfully here today because a child was born long ago.

Angela lived a short life but lived her purpose in her time.  She told her story to anyone who would listen to assure others there is a life beyond this one and not be frightened.   The child born long ago gave Angela the power and stamina to use her faith to share the glory awaiting us.  And she did it well.

I only sat with Angela for an hour, but she impacts much of how I view life today.  Because of her lack of fear, I have no trepidation in discussing my battles with clinical depression or other tribulations.  Earthly life isn’t over when we can no longer see a way out.  God will lead us out of our pain if we are faithfully patient.  Give Him the time because He gave us Himself. 

I overheard a group of religious men discussing our political environment.  They were calling folks names and degrading others with each sentence.  The Christmas tree sparkled in the adjoining living room, and the nativity was beautifully displayed near them.  The carol “Oh Holy Night” softly played in the background.  Will such hypocrisy be forgiven by all who are so humanly erred?  And then I remembered because a child was born long ago, all we must do is ask.

 Let us momentarily stop and hear the carols instead of the rancor and discontent.  Curb the name-calling, bad-mouthing, and spreading distrust, and instead, honor, respect, and celebrate our Savior’s birthday.   Pause to remember the baby born long ago still walks among us and listens to each word.  How sad even a manger scene cannot remind us who we should be.

The true meaning

We are no longer doomed because God sent Jesus to share His life with us on a glorified night.  If we believe in the power of the infant born, there is no need to live in fear and darkness.   Even when we sin, we can seek forgiveness.  When we fall, we will be given a staff to stand.  There is nothing we cannot endure because a child was born long ago.

Even though I love everything zany and am kid-like regarding the holidays, I know the true reason for the season.  I understood ages ago that without Christ, I would never have celebrated another Christmas, enjoyed the years with my family, watched grandchildren grow, encountered priceless folks, and found peace. 

Because of the baby born in a stable in Bethlehem, we are given victory over death, showered with strength, and granted abundant forgiveness.  How God must love us still.

Joy to the World!

It was early December 2011 when it was decided that my husband and I must be physically separated during Christmas.  David’s mother had planned for months to travel to our house from New Orleans for the holidays.  My two grown stepdaughters were overjoyed that their MawMaw was joining the family for Christmas. 

I, on the other hand, was planning to leave for Florida to help my daughter through the holidays as she dealt with the effects of chemotherapy while working and taking care of her six-year-old child. 

While anticipation graced our home in Georgia, difficulty seeped through the doors in South Florida.

Typically, our home is decorated to the max by Thanksgiving.  However, because of the trips back and forth to assist my daughter, the house was bare of holiday ornamentation. 

“Honey, let’s not worry about a tree this year because I know you are exhausted!  My mother, the girls, and I understand, and we will be just fine!” My husband assured me.

David flew out of town on business for a few days just before I was to fly south.  After he left, I stood alone in our un-Christmasy, bleak house and shed a few tears as sorrow engulfed me. 

I begged God to help us through this terrible and uncertain time. 

A Charlie Brown tree

Suddenly, I decided there was no way that I would leave my husband’s family to celebrate Christmas in such stark gloom and doom!

I grabbed my keys and headed to Hobby Lobby, searching for a small Charlie Brown-looking Christmas tree.  Something inexpensive, funny, and full of color.  The tree would be complete with ornaments representing the things in life David loved.

There it was!  On sale!  A five-foot pencil tree that was a bit sparse of fake needles, but yet, it seemed oddly perfect.   I grabbed it along with some old-timey colored lights, a few ornaments, and hooks.

The next stop was Walmart, where I found red and white fishing bobbers,  golf tees, and plastic practice golf balls. 

The tree would represent all things David enjoys… golf and fishing, beach Santas, and any reminder of his hometown, “The Big Easy.”

I glued the golf balls to the tees and tied them with red and white checked ribbons.  The floats attached to the branches perfectly, and the few purchased ornaments were related mainly to David’s favorite recreations.  I found an old picture of David fishing on a beach and tied it to the tree. 

When he came home, the tree was lit, and the house seemed to shine with a glimpse of joy.  The once ugly little tree seemed magical since it made my waving goodbye easier.

Reminders of life

Finally, later in January, when I returned home, I took the tree down and stowed it in the attic.  

“Are you keeping the tree?” David asked as I wrapped up the ornaments. 

“Yes, I am.  I may even put it back up next year as a second tree.  It seems enchanted and joyous!”  I declared. 

Every year since that fateful Christmas, the tree reemerges to bring more than magic to this house.  Each year, we add another David ornament.  We still hang the original ones on the tree, but there are also decorations depicting a camera, a glass slice of pizza, a poor boy sandwich from New Orleans along with beads, the Christmas Story movie floor lamp, an Italian flag, pictures of grandchildren, and many more outlandish mismatched meaningful reminders of life. 

The large tree in the living room is beautiful, but David’s Tree in the adjoining room is the heart of Christmas.  The whimsical tree tells the story of love, healing, hope, and family.  David’s mom died several years ago, but each time I turn the tree’s lights on, I think of the colorful life she led. 

A wooden tree-shaped plaque is embedded in the tree that reads, “David’s Tree, established 2011.”   Each Christmas, when I hang the plaque, I also put a pink ornament on the back of the tree with a picture of my daughter taken soon after recovering from cancer. 

David’s tree depicts the journey from heartache to victory, despair to joy, and doubt to faith, all because of an answered prayer.   

God indeed helped us all through a terrible time.  There isn’t a day that I am not aware that Christ is the magic of Christmas.  He planted in my mind the way to bring a bit of light to darkness and a smile to wipe away the tears.

As the little pencil tree beams brightly in our home and folks stop by, they often look quizzically at the crazy ornaments.  As I notice their questioning glare, I respond, “This is David’s tree full of everything he loves!”

But, oh, it is so much more.