The Christmas Season should be Joyous

During my childhood and teen years, both sides of our family, Mom’s side and Dad’s side, were all Spirit Filled Believers, and attended A G Churches. What a blessing that was!

Christmas Eve was always at Mama and Papa’s house in Lamont, California, Dad’s side. The whole family was there, every Aunt, every Uncle, every Cousin and of course, Mama and Papa. Everyone arrived in the morning and we stayed into the night. No one wanted to leave. Presents were exchanged, but that was not what was important. It was being together, immensely enjoying being together. Besides, the presents were socks, flannel shirts and underwear! Mom and Dad got me fishing stuff!

Christmas Day was Mom’s side, at Grandma and Grandpa Jay’s house in Bakersfield, just a few miles from Lamont! It was almost a carbon copy of the day before. Everyone was there! Everyone loved each other and no one wanted to leave. Yep, stayed into the night!

Things have changed so much since the 50’s and 60’s! I look forward to meeting my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles in heaven. All but three of that bunch are home with the Lord! Just the cousins remain here. They are all grandparents and great grandparents and have their own families now with their own traditions. But when we do see each other those bonds and love from our early years are still there. Priceless!

Our world today is much more splintered. Family traditions are not nearly as common as in my early days. Not nearly enough people experience what I had growing up. Instead, relational pain for many makes Christmas a difficult time, some even wish it would just go away!

My family was so blessed. Very few people today get to experience what my family enjoyed. I realize now it was our relationship with Jesus Christ that made it all flow together so amazingly.

So, Seniors, we have the call and responsibility to bring people, especially family, into that relational sphere of love and the bonds of genuine care. So, you say, what am I getting at? Well, let’s do that this Christmas, by purposefully looking for people who need to be loved and not let the details and shopping pressures of Christmas blind us to the opportunities we have to share God’s love, the real purpose of Christmas.

There is a whole world out there, 8 billion people, maybe, just maybe, we all can make a difference in person’s life. What about another Senior? We all have so much to give that will not be wrapped and place under a tree!

Wayne Clark