The Weekend

In a few short weeks, we will celebrate Christmas.  Christmas is a special time of year for many people.  It is one of my favorite times of the year.  I love looking at the Christmas lights and enjoying the tasty treats of the season.  As I write this, I am aware of my selfishness as a human being.  I am ashamed of my actions.  

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I, along with several other church members, had the opportunity to travel to the Operation Christmas Child distribution center in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The center is a collection for thousands of shoe boxes.  These shoe boxes are filled with toys, school supplies, clothing items, and hygiene items.  These boxes will be distributed to millions of boys and girls around the world.  At this collection center, volunteers from around the country come to inspect the boxes making sure they are filled with the appropriate items.  For two days, I was one of those volunteers.  As I was inspecting each box, I thought about all the "stuff" I had.  I have much more than I need.   At at that moment, I realized that I would not be satisfied with a shoebox full of little trinkets.  I want so much more than that.  I am a selfish person.  There are so many people around me that have so little.  Yet I complain, when my parents say that an IPod Touch is out of the question for Christmas.  

In this selfishness the true meaning of Christmas is lost.  The greatest gift has been given to me and that is Jesus Christ.  He is the greatest gift I can show someone else.  God does not care about the "stuff" I receive for Christmas.  God is more concern with the love and generosity that is shown to others.  

We all struggle with this selfishness at some point.  I pray that we keep our eyes on the true meaning of Christmas.  I pray we learn to give of ourselves every day of our lives.