When I reflect back on my life, many occasions stand out as special events. Eleven memories are: my wedding day; the day I joined a Gospel quartet as a teenager; each day of the birth of our five kids; the day I dropped dad’s prized notebook into the San Diego Harbor; the day dad returned from a 13-month deployment; the first time I preached over the radio; and the day, when playing hide-n-seek, I backed into a cactus plant. (I won’t tell you how badly that hurt!)
When I consider my most meaningful Christmas Day before marriage, I have to pause and go through my life – location-by-location. In the 20 years between my birth and marriage, we lived in 9 different places (10 if we include the college campus), and my childhood memories are in those 10 mental compartments. As an adult married for 57 years – and counting to the same, wonderful, precious Carol – we lived in 17 different locations – so far.
Reflecting on my childhood, dad sometimes took us on Saturday afternoon family walks through El Cajon, California. We walked past Foster’s Freeze ice cream store, and each of us got an ice cream cone. They cost a nickel back then. We walked to the other end of town, stopping at the 5, 10, & 15-cent store for a coke. They cost a dime. We then crossed the highway, and walked back home, stopping first by the Ford dealership to look at new cars. Looking didn’t cost anything. As children, we thought it must have been a 5-mile walk. But the walks were probably around two miles at the most and were deeply enjoyable times with mom and dad.
Whenever I got into a fuss with any of my five sisters, I always went to dad for consolation. He didn’t arbitrarily take my side in the fuss, but he helped me understand life. I felt important when I was with my dad.
But then, the navy sent dad overseas for 13 months, and I felt all alone. I plodded along, but life was hollow for me. I hate to admit it, but I cried often. Not realizing it, I became belligerent at times to mom. It wasn’t intentional, but I was a kid, and hurting. However, that doesn’t excuse me, and I eventually grew up and asked both mom and the Lord to forgive me.
Then Dad Returned Home! And I became happy again. We had two Christmases that year. When dad returned in the summer of 1957 and gave all of us gifts, we claimed that as an extra Christmas. Then we celebrated the regular Christmas in December. That Christmas was my most meaningful childhood Christmas.
But Joy still comes in the morning. That’s the first line in the chorus of the song, Alive & Breathing, by Matt Maher.
Dad helped pick out the tree. Dad brought out the special gifts he had purchased for us overseas but had concealed them in his closet. We never suspected he had them. Dad spent the whole day with us. Dad, my brothers, and I tossed the football. We played catch with a baseball. Dad had target-practice with me with my new Daisy B-B Gun. Many of us played Monopoly. Dad won. We had root-beer floats. All in all, I was in heaven-on-earth! Life wasn’t perfect, but my daddy was home! And that was my most meaningful Christmas as a child.
What about you? Think back in time. Our memory is our Time Travel Machine. Relax and take time to reflect on your life. What events or relationship made Christmas meaningful to you, and when was that? It can be either when you were a child or an adult. Please take time to jot down some notes and think about the good times in your life. Share those good memories with family and friends.
But there’s another story for a lot of people. Many of you might not have good or enjoyable memories. Life has been hard. Rejection has been inscribed across the recesses of your mind. Sometimes you might think of ending it all. I would like you, also, to write some of those painful memories on paper. Write down the details of how you’ve been hurt. Then I want you to talk with God about it. Tell Him how difficult your life has been. Pour out your heart and feelings to Him. He understands. Why?
Jesus was born into this corrupt, hell-bent world to show us a better way to live. His purpose was to take the penalty of our own sin and selfishness so that we could be healed and restored to Father God. Jesus’ plan is for us to live with Him where sin, selfishness, and sorrow does not exist. It’s called Heaven.
God commissioned people to jot down His thoughts to give us. Those notes are the Bible. You can learn to know Jesus by reading Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but especially the Gospel of John. Leaving heaven, He came to be born as a human, like us. But unlike you and me, Jesus was never selfish. As a human, He didn’t search for fulfillment to make His life worthwhile. Instead, He came to give Himself in order to make our lives worthwhile. He gave His life on the cross to re-establish eternal life for us. In His 33 years on earth prior to His crucifixion, He showed us how to live, how to love, and how to give.
Also unlike you and me, Jesus raised back to life to confirm that He is, indeed, God, and to reaffirm His love for us.
I encourage you this Christmas season to think less of stuff, more of others, and especially, more of Jesus. He wasn’t born in December, but this celebration is still all about Him. Stuff will wear out; but if you choose to live for Jesus Christ, our Savior, your relationship with Him will last forever.
MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Gene Linzey 