The Real Meaning of Christmas

As I head down to Baltimore to celebrate Christmas with my family, I can’t help but reminisce on all the things that have taken place throughout the year and how good God has been to Michele and me. We may not have always gotten everything we wanted, but through it all, He’s given us joy, peace, and love for one another and our family and friends. That’s why I’m grateful to Him and why I celebrate Him during this Christmas season!

The other day, Michele and I had a talk about whether we would teach our kids to believe in Santa Claus. I was a little apprehensive approaching her about it just because I didn’t know how she would respond. Would she be adamant about teaching our kids about Santa Claus? I was pretty adamant myself about not, so what would happen if we disagreed?

Fortunately for me, we ended up being on the same page. As Christians, we didn’t want our kids growing up believing in some imaginary old, fat white guy who would bring them presents on Christmas! To us, Christmas shouldn’t be about receiving presents. It should be about giving, and as such, we want to instill a spirit of giving in our kids. We want to encourage them to give to those who are less fortunate on Christmas. To give some of their clothes to the homeless or to make toys for underprivileged kids. The way we see it, they’ll have the rest of the year to get gifts from us. But the purpose and focus of Christmas should be to give. That is, the essence of Christmas is found in John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish but have everlasting life!

So, what have we turned Christmas into? A day when we literally kill each other (see this year’s Black Friday) to get a good deal? A day when we get all stressed out trying to buy gifts for everyone on our list? Is that what Christmas is supposed to be about?

So as you celebrate Christmas this year, I encourage you to give to someone else. It doesn’t have to be anything expensive. You can give your time or a talent. If you sing, maybe you could write a song for someone. If you sew, maybe you can sew a scarf for someone. Whatever it is, all of us have something to give. It just takes a little shift in perspective and a refocus on what’s important.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

God bless,
J.W.

Amnesia

Often times, as human beings, we get amnesia. We get all caught up in the hustle and bustle of the craziness that is our lives and we forget. We forget the past – all the things that God has done for us. We forget the promises – all the things God has promised us in His Word. And most of all, we forget His goodness – the fact that God loves us and, as our Heavenly Father, wants what is best for us.

But here’s where the dilemma lies – we want what’s best for us and God wants what’s best for us. But often times, what God thinks is best for us and what we think is best for us doesn’t agree. For instance, we might have our heart set on a particular job for which we’ve applied. We’ve gone through the application process, we’ve had the interview, we’ve met with the hiring manager, and, in our mind, we’ve made a good impression. To us, the job’s in the bag. Then, we get that call telling us they’ve decided to go with another candidate. Out of nowhere, we’re hit with overwhelming disappointment and rejection. It feels as if God has just pulled the rug right out from under us. Feelings of anger, resentment, and depression come over us as a result of our let down. And we forget. We get amnesia.

But while the world is telling us that we’re not good enough, that nobody likes us, and that nothing good will ever happen, the Word tells us that God is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think,” (Ephesians 3:20) that “my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19) and that if you would “delight yourself also in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

So who are you going to believe today? Are you going to believe the world, with its deception and lies, or the Word, with its power and wisdom? Are you going to focus on what your circumstances tell you or what God has promised you? Because whatever you focus on is what will come to pass in your life.

I, for one, choose the latter.

God bless,
J.W.

Step Out

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

Deep, right?

I know. I wish I would have come up with it, but, unfortunately, these words are not mine. They belong to the late great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the quote above, Dr. King gives us a clear definition of what faith is. Faith, according to him, is the ability to do something when it doesn’t make sense to. It’s the ability to trust God when our circumstances tell us not to. It’s what Peter did when he stepped out of the boat and walked on water to Jesus. Or what Abraham did when God told him to leave his home to go to an unknown land.

You see, as human beings, we are constantly striving to be in control. It’s a natural part of who we are. When we were created, God himself commanded us to have dominion over the things around us. So, it’s natural for us to want to control our surroundings.

The problem is that we forget where the source of power comes from. We think we control our own lives and destinies. Despite what the world tells us, true power does not come from our own abilities, but rather from those given to us by God. In fact, ironically, true power and control doesn’t come through being the toughest, smartest, fastest, strongest, etc. Rather, they come through characteristics typically considered to be weak – humility, submission, and meekness.

See, Dr. King's quote hits on something that many of us have not learned. As much as we try to plan out our own destinies, ultimately, we are not in control. God is. No matter how hard we try, we will never know enough, plan enough, prepare enough, or be strong enough to handle every storm that comes our way. There will always be situations that arise that we will not be able to handle on our own. It is God’s way of showing us that we are not Him. We cannot do everything by ourselves. In fact, we cannot do anything by ourselves.

But that’s where faith comes in. Like Dr. King said, “faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” It’s trusting in God even when our own minds tell us not to. It’s doing what He tells you to do even when it doesn’t make sense to do so. This is what we mean when we say “stepping out on faith.” And here is where true power lies.

God bless,

J.W.

He Who Has Ears...

A few weeks ago, Michele and I were watching an episode of Dr. Phil in which they were discussing the recent passage of Proposition 8 in California that prohibited gay couples to marry. In watching the show, what was disturbing to me was not the fact that the bill was passed, not the fact that gay rights activists are now protesting a democratically-elected piece of legislation, but rather the fact that here you had two parties, one in favor of the bill and one opposing the bill, sitting across from each other, intent on simply hurling insults at each other. Neither side would listen to the other. Rather, it was all about simply stating your own position and fighting against what the other side had to say.

In my opinion, this is what the American people are tired of. This is the reason that John McCain, Sarah Palin and the entire Republican Party lost this election. People are tired of arguments and constantly placing the blame on others. Rather, people want to see action. They want to see us working together to find common ground so that we can solve the tough problems that we are facing today.

That is the spirit that President-Elect Obama tapped into during his campaign. In fact, today, I learned that a lot of this ability grew out of what Obama learned as a community organizer in studying the organizing practices and techniques of famed organizing mastermind Saul Alinsky. In his first book, Reveille for Radicals, Alinsky insisted that organizers “begin by listening and learning the mores, history, and values of any community they work in. Their work is not to convert,” he argued, “but rather to help draw out the democratic potentials in any community.” Called “relational organizing,” it was the same technique upon which Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the SCLC built their Civil Rights Movement and the same technique that President-Elect Obama used to turn this country from a 51%-49% nation into a 60%-40% nation. As Thelma Craig put it, if the goal is culture change, then the strategic objective should be to get to 80% - not 50% - of the people.

That’s why, today, I’m tired of hearing the rants of people like Keith Olbermann and Arianna Huffington on the left, and Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity on the right, who simply toe the party line and either fail to see or simply ignore the absurdities of their own ideology. I’m tired of hearing gay rights advocates tell me that people of the Christian faith are gay-bashers and homophobes, while those who claim to follow Christ try to convince me that gay people don’t deserve equal rights simply because their lifestyle is different than theirs. We may not agree on everything, but if we would just stop talking and listen more, we may find that there are certain concessions that we each can make in order to find a solution with which each side can live. The old saying that God gave us one mouth and two ears so that we could listen twice as much as we speak reigns true. There’s value in listening. Try it. You might learn something.