When Do You Put Up Your Tree?

Every year I fight with my family. It is the debate of all debates and goes on for roughly 2 weeks before things settle down. The source of this intense deliberation?:

Artificial versus Living

Yes, hard as it is to imagine, but each year I stand up for my right as the mother in the home, to buy an artificial Christmas tree for a change. One of those nice and handy pre-lit ones that come with easy assembly but WITHOUT all the spilled pine needles and endless watering. But noooooo, things just never seem to go my way! The rest of my family, argue vehemently for the live tree.

They love the smell and feel of it. The best part of all for them is being able to go and pick it out. But once again I was on a losing streak with the odds of 4 against 1. So I admitted my defeat humbly and we went out the other night to pick out the tree.

The sparkle in the kids eyes as they sorted through the lot was worth the defeat though and last night was the crowning moment. We have our own little tradition since coming to this end of the world and that tradition is, that each year on thanksgiving, we put up our tree. I grew up in a home where we always started to decorate the house early and I loved it as a kid! Now our kids count the days down until we can do the same each year.

So after sorting through old lights, debating over which colored balls to use and rescuing my young son, more than once, from a well meaning sister handing him tinsel to chew on, the moment arrived! We turned off the lights and all held our breath as Craig said, “are you ready?” As our eyes were all glued to that tree, he plugged it in. Instantly it ignited into a display of colored sparkles and twinkles.

In that small moment I felt such a rush of emotion.

I looked at my daughter’s faces and saw that look of innocent awe. My young son was in my arms and his eyes were open wide, legs and arms flailing excitedly at his very first experience with the lights of Christmas. I look around me and felt a deep stirring in my spirit. In this private family moment, in the midst of us, was the Lord Jesus.

I looked back at the last year and a rush of blessings and memories came to my mind. Somehow I had to think really hard of all the tough things that had happened this year. All that I could remember in this moment was how time and again, the Lord picked us up and took us from blessing to blessing.

You read the news, talk to your neighbors and endure boring conversations with family members that do not know the Lord. And so you are surrounded by negativity, loss, fear and every other bad thing you can think of. It is tough sometimes to block all of that out and to see what God IS doing.

Sure it is easy to see all the wrong that is in the church. It is easy to see the bad things that are happening in the world and governments. But what makes us stand apart as believers? Is it not that we can see the good that God IS doing? So often we are striving to that great goal, that we overlook how much ground we have already covered. Sometimes you just need to stop and look at the twinkling lights for a while.

Sometimes you just have to stop and be a young child in the arms of Jesus and to appreciate His warm and firm hold. So when you cut through all of the garbage out there and all the things you should have, would have, wanted to, needed to, didn’t do … What is left? What is left is every good thing that comes down from the Father of lights.

Count Your Blessings

So what are your blessings? This year the Lord gave Craig and I a beautiful son. We have daughters who are not only the best in the world, but are also a major part of our team. We work with passionate leaders who are not afraid to stand up and be counted. We have our lecturers and staff that just humble us with how much they put into every single thing they do.

We have YOU, always sending in those words of thanks and appreciation at just the right time! We have our partners who are really paying the price and doing the work of God unselfishly. We have spiritual parents who have not only given us their hearts, but their lives as well.

Most of all, we have the Lord Jesus. That no matter what happens in life. No matter what storms come our way, we always end up on top. He is truly the treasure that surpasses all treasure. He is the one that unites you and me.

We might be from different backgrounds, even have some different views to scripture. But this one treasure brings us together with a single powerful understanding. That through the Lord Jesus Christ, every knee will bow. That through Lord Jesus, we have every blessing in Him. That through the Lord Jesus we are a body that is going to take this world for Him. It is this that keeps me getting up time and again.

What Are Your Blessings?

When you think back on this last year, what incredible things jump out? (I would also be curious to know - what are YOUR family christmas traditions?)

There is only one way to change the way we view life and that is to view it through the eyes of Christ. So let us begin our race to 2010 by doing what us Christians do best ...praising our Father of lights, because in Him, there is no change or shadow! (James 1:17)