What I Want For Christmas

A friend of mine the other night kind of jokingly asked me and some other friends what our Christmas wish was.  Many kind of laughed but inside I was thinking, "That is a loaded question for me.  All I want for Christmas is just another Christmas with my Mom, a healthy Mom that is."  I didn't say anything out loud, I didn't want to hurt his feelings.  It was not a question intended to make anyone feel badly.   

That is such a loaded question for so many people this Christmas and I cannot help but think of these people.  Some are dear friends, some are people I don't even know.  What I do know is that all of us have lost someone so special to us that it is next to impossible for some of us to think about the future without this person in our lives.

Last night I bawled before I went to bed.  The thought of the grieving Connecticut families was about more than I could bear.  Why Lord, oh why?  This makes no sense to me nor anyone else.  Why on earth....? So many questions.  So much a mystery.  

I know you are crying Lord.  I know you are.  You cried when Lazarus died.  He was your great friend.  I know how much children mean to you.  I know you have to be completely weeping over this, Lord.  I just know it.  I feel it.  Your heart is broken tonight by someone's insanely, evil choice.  I know you can't go against your character or how you created us.  You gave us free will, with that is our choice to do evil and not choose you.... I know you weep at the horrid decisions we make.  I also know you are just.  Oh Lord, please help all of these families whose hearts have been absolutely crushed by yesterday's tragedy.

Then I found myself talking to my Mom.... and the tears started to flow harder.  "Did you see them Mom?  Did you see the little ones come into heaven yesterday morning?"  Somehow I think she must have.

Death changes everything for a family.  The death of my mother forever changed mine.  I have never in my life been more attuned to heaven than I am now.   I have been given a new perspective on life here because she is there.  

Her death has caused me to be more in tune with those that are
hurting.  It's almost like a radar now.... someone loses a loved one
and I hurt too.  It has given me a better understanding of those who are mourning and hurting.  I am thankful for that, because before I
could only pretend to understand what others are going through.  

What do I want for Christmas?
I want Christians to love more like Christ did when he was on this earth.
I want us to be less apathetic and a more empathetic and compassionate people.
I want people to start caring more about people in society and their communities and thinking less about what they are "entitled to" by the society they live in.
I want people to start loving their families like it is the last day they will ever see them again.  
I want people to say what they mean and mean what they say and then act on what they say they will do.
I want our society to start valuing life like Christ does.  It is a gift.
I want people to understand that God is the creator of family and he values our families.
And I want others who are hurting to know that no matter what they are going through, that God loves them and has not abandoned them.  He cries with them and feels their pain.  He is there to walk through the valley of the shadow of death with them.

Those are just a few things I want for Christmas....

And the last thing I would wish for America this Christmas in light of what happened yesterday..... 
....that we not lose HOPE in all of the chaos of evil around us at times.  This is my prayer.  Love is still here.  Hope is not gone.  The Holy Spirit is with us!  It's up to us to be the hands and feet of Christ though moving forward. Situations do not solve themselves, they always call for action.  It's up to us to not sit on the sidelines but to live out our faith however God calls us.

....for the sake of the broken hearted
....for the sake of the weak
....for the sake of sick
....for the sake of those who need our protection
....for the sake of those who cannot help themselves
mostly importantly for Christ's sake because this is what he calls us to do..... to love him with all of our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves.