A Christmas Spent Giving: A Change in Perspective

Acts 20:35b, "...to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

The Spirit of Christmas.  We hear that phrase quite often: in Hallmark movies, titles of books or plays, sermons.  What does it really mean? Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year.  The day after Thanksgiving Day, my tree goes up, every-day items get packed away and Christmas decorations are seen all over the house!  The traditional ornaments that have been given to us or purchased during our travels over the years adorn our tree.  Blinking, colored lights that never blink all at the same time are seen from the road as you look into our front window and the angel or star on top of our tree is always present.  I look forward to this time of year every single year...except last year.

You see, last year at this time, was my very first Christmas away from all of my family.  Every single year, we have the same traditions, the same get-togethers, the same hideous gift for the Chinese auction/white elephant gift.  We gather all the little cousins together to try to get some type of decent picture of everyone.  I was missing all of the festivities.  I was missing my family, my hometown, my church.  The night of my family's gathering, they Face-Time'd me.  To my surprise, they all had mustaches on and sang Feliz Navidad. To their surprise, I stood in my kitchen in Costa Rica and bawled my eyes out.  When I hung up, I was crying so hard I could barely breathe.  I wanted to be with them so badly, but it just wasn't possible.  I prayed often.  We had to go on a visa run out of Costa Rica, so we headed to a resort in Panama to spend time together--just my husband and kids.  I replaced our big Christmas tree with all of our favorite ornaments with a small $2 hobby lobby tree.  We replaced our traditional Christmas breakfast and birthday party for Jesus with a hotel breakfast.  We replaced our day spent heading from house to house with a lazy day exploring the Panama canal and rain forest and swimming in the pool.  Being by a pool on Christmas Day was just weird to me.  I enjoyed spending this precious time with my children and husband, but I was almost depressed not being with my family.  After living in the same town with all of them since birth and spending every Christmas enjoying all of our traditions, I had a really difficult Christmas.  I honestly was not looking forward to what lie ahead on the mission field.

Fast forward to this Christmas, I am loving every minute of being in Mexico.  Do I still miss my family?  YES!  Can I wait until they Face Time me during our yearly Christmas gathering?  NO!  I love that crazy group more than words can say.  But, the "Spirit of Christmas" has returned to this house and to my heart.  What's the difference?  Last year, I was out of school with nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no family around.  This year, my days are packed planning, preparing, and participating in several different Christmas gatherings at the different churches within our ministry.  In just two weeks, we've already been a part of three different Christmas gatherings at three different churches; we have one more to go.  We were able to pass out boxes from Operation Christmas Child, such a treat for us!  We've packed those boxes and volunteered at the headquarters in Charlotte, NC for several years; to be on the receiving end was truly special.  The day after Christmas, we are heading to two different indigenous villages to hand out more gifts and a few hundred pairs of shoes that have been donated by churches in the states.  We will be traveling with a fellow Mexican missionary in our town.  I'm enjoying being here so much that when my parents mentioned flying the kids and I home for Christmas (my 10-year-old son has had a very difficult time adjusting to Mexico), I told them I'd love to, but it would have to January.  I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with these children, communities, and churches.

It's been such a different Christmas season for me this year.  Why?  I honestly believe because I am spending my Christmas giving to others.  My husband, children, and I have the amazing privilege to show the love of Christ in a tangible way to those around us.  God has given us friends here and family in Christ with whom we can share our Christmas.  Even my children have been blessed in the giving (although they were thrilled to receive a gift too at one of the churches). Being away from family, changes in traditions, missing loved ones who are no longer with us--all of these can dampen the "Spirit of Christmas" in our hearts and home.  However, if we remember the gift  God gave us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and focus on sharing that gift with those around us, the Spirit of Christmas--the Gospel of Jesus Christ--can truly shine through.