Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. At least, I love the idea of it. I love the houses lit up at night, I love the traditional carols and even Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" I love how its the one time of year you can actually hear songs about Jesus on secular radio stations. Yes, Christmas generates a warm, fuzzy feeling in most of us.
Did you know that one child dies every 30 seconds due to preventable disease - because of contaminated water? I read this in a Samaritans Purse ad last year. When I read this, it wasn't anywhere near Christmas, but the first thing that popped into my head was "Children are dying, and we are worried about what to buy each other for Christmas!!"
Lets face it - most of us have everything we need, and then some. And if we want more there is a Walmart near by! If I need socks and a kettle - I go to the mall and come home with probably more than that. We are a society of excess.
My children have so many toys that it is hard to walk in the basement without tripping on things that are all over the floor. There are children in Africa who have never even played with a ball.
There are also many people right here in my city who do not have enough to eat, and who sleep in the streets, in sub-zero temperatures.
This Christmas, we, as a family, are going to think less of ourselves and more of others. We are going to give to the charities who provide clean water to those in need. We are going to give to the food bank. We are going to do this for our family and friends, as our gift to them. We are doing this in the name of Jesus Christ. I'm sure they will appreciate this much more than anything we could buy at Walmart.
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