Joy to the World (...catch that last word?)

My fingers have been itching to get to my keyboard since the holiday season began, but I've hesitated, not wanting to be a Scrooge during one of my favorite times of the year. I love it because of the traditions. I love holiday lights, I love the music, I love the reason to gather as a family and create new traditions that build memories for years to come. And, as a Christian, I love that we take time to celebrate the gift that was given to the world in the form of an infant, born so humbly, who would one day change the world (whether you believe him a diety or not, Jesus of Nazareth is THE most transforming figure in history).

The thing that has got me a bit perplexed is how on earth we have gone from cheerful holiday season, to drawing battle lines over the "Christmas" vs. "holiday" in our tidings. I have read one too many Facebook posts and seen one too many illustrations trying to either blend secular Santa with the Christian nativity or scold those who attempt the blend. It bothers me because the arguement itself goes against the very nature of the season. It puts a dividing line during a time a year that is meant to draw people together.

Here are the main points as I (and remember this is just my own silly opinion here) see them:

1. According to historians who have studied the Bible and related historical texts, there is pretty conclusive evidence that Jesus was NOT born in the month of December. Let's also remember that "December" didn't exist 2000+ years ago, so the arguement that December 25th somehow "belongs" to Jesus is rubbish. If you truely believe, then you realize that EVERY day belongs to God, so I doubt Jesus sits in heaven pouting over the secularization (is that a word?) of December 25th. It is not his birthday. It is the day we as modern Christians have chosen to celebrate it....




2. ...continuing from point number 1, digging into history will reveal the reason we modern Christians choose to celebrate at this time of year. Most historians believe that as early as 225AD Christians were choosing to celebrate the birth of Christ in December. They did so to align with a pagan tradition, thereby effectively snagging the date for Christ instead of a lesser God. Pretty smart move from an evangelical perspective. So now we Christians get huffy when other secular notions try to nudge in "our" day.




3. Don't forget about Hannukah when when adding in the Holiday cheer. Jews were around first. Even Jesus was a Jew. Their tradition has been around longer than ours. I'm not 100% on this next statement, but if the dates I've seen line, even Jesus may have celebrated it.--feel free to correct me if my dates are wrong.




4. Santa. Oh Santa. What is a Christian mom to do about about the jolly guy in the red suit? Well, this condundrum has been around less than 200 years the way we think about St. Nick. Festivals and observances of the generous Greek saint have been around since at least the middle ages, but Santa Claus as we know him today really picked up speed in the 19th century with American..wait for it...cartoonists. And in typical American melting pot fashion we have, over the last 200 years, mixed many country's celebrations into something that is pretty uniquely our own.




5. Politics. Our country will continue to attempt de-Christianize this country. If you think about it, that is even predicted in the Bible. When it comes to Christmas however, they can call it what they want. Holiday, Yule Tide celebration, festivities, whatever, at the end of the day you can't completely separate Christ, and definitely not God, from our celebrations this time of year. It is too rooted into our culture.

So, what am I concluding here? Not a thing. Just bringing up some points, but I'll tell you how I'm trying to handle this time of year.

Regardless of background, religion or culture, most everyone celebrates something at this time of the year. It's a GOOD thing. We are celebrating GOOD things. Togetherness, family, generosity. John 3:16 says that God so love the WORLD (as in this whole messed up, fractured place) that he gave His only son. Jesus was for everyone, and Christians, therefore, are supposed to be for everyone. Am I also called to speak truth and lead people from sin? Yes, but can't I do that through my actions? This is a built-in time of year to act like Jesus. Be kind, be giving, be sacrificial.

I will teach my children to remember His birth at Christmas. I will teach them about the wonder that is Christmas in its many forms. And I will remember that I am called to love people, all people, even if they don't love me. You may not celebrate Christmas my way. That's cool. I love you cause Jesus loves you, and he was born in a manager long ago for you whether you want to believe it or not.

I'm praying for everyone this holiday season, but my plea for Christians is to put our differences aside and use this time of year to show love and compassion, not separation. Teach your children; instead of letting the culture teach them. Say "Merry Christmas"; because it's what you believe in, but don't be offended if it isn't returned. Show people the love of Christ through your love of them. We can go back to being divided and hateful in January ;) kidding of course.

In dog years I'm 196

One question: When did I get old?

No, I’m serious, and don’t give me that I’m over 40 and you’re not speech. I feel old. I do things that 10 years ago would have been things OLD people do. Is it about to begin? That moment in time when otherwise normal women begin scrutinizing the mirror every morning for traces of gray, and spend more on anti-aging cream than they spend on food in a month? I’m not ready. I didn’t see this coming. It hit me like a bottle of cellulite-fighting lotion this morning at 11am.

I, Lauren King, at 28 years of age, have joined a book club.

Does joining a book automatically qualify you for AARP benefits? No, but as I looked at the recommended reading, a list started to form in my head that ends in the foregone conclusion that at some point in the last 5 years, I’ve gotten old. Still rolling your eyes? Read the list and be see for yourself.

• I own a Buick..and like it.
• Sleeping-in is rising at 7:30
• I actually fear I’ll turn into a pumpkin if I’m out past midnight
• I don’t understand popular music.
• I think the way young boys wear their hair is ridiculous
• My favorite channel is PBS
• I remember life before iPods
• I have “good old days”
• I am starting to sound like my mom
• My idea of a vacation is not moving from my couch for a full 24-hours
• At some point I stopped using words like “girls” and “women” and starting saying “ladies”
• I have a “ladies” group. We are not wearing red hats yet, but I fear we are dangerously close.
• I look at anyone under the age of 25 as a kid.
• I remember life without cell phones
• I wonder why people don’t “talk” to each other anymore
• I will always think of Barney from the show How I met Your Mother as Doogie Houser; no matter how lewd he gets on his new show.
• I use words like “lewd”, regularly.
• I remember when “going green” was something you only did when sea sick
• I remember life before kids…barely.
• I’ve lost any “sense of style” in favor of “sense of sale”.
• I’ve gone to a class on couponing…voluntarily
• I take issue when people talk in txt language “Hey, I’ll brb”….what?
• I own shoes that are older than my kids.
• I joined a book club.

So, add all those things up and I feel like I’ve earned my place among the Golden Girls. What? You didn’t understand my Golden Girls reference? You’ve proved my point.

Where Water Goes

Forgive and forget. Simple statement. I'd bet it's said a million times a day by a million different mouths. Easy to say, really, REALLY, hard to do. Why?

Often, when I think of forgiving I think about people in my life who have wronged me somehow. At some point I blame them for sending me off an emotional cliff; or in some cases a literal one. But forgiveness isn't reserved for the nasty people in your life. I think it's more difficult to forgive yourself. I mean where do you turn, who do you point the finger at, when you built the cliff yourself from your own well meaning, but perhaps unrealistic goals, or your past fears and regrets, and then you hit the accelerator that had you flying over it into a pit?

While talking about New Year's resolutions (breeding ground for eventual cliff building) in my Sunday School class, we read a verse from Philippians:

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Phil 13-14 (emphasis mine)

If anyone had a past that threatened to catch up with him it was Paul. Back in his Saul days, he was Public Enemy Number 1 for anyone who followed Christ. What Paul says though, is that he has to FORGET what is behind and move TOWARD what is ahead. Let the past go and keep moving forward.

I have ended my therapy (at least for the time being) and it's neat to be in a place where I feel healthy enough to do that. I still deal with anxiety, but I deal with it right now, it doesn't deal with me. Throughout the sessions, one thing I learned that seems to stick out amongst the rest is the fact that I tend to me most anxious when I feel guilty about something. I let guilt throw me into a massive funk that perpetuates itself into a deep, lonely pit. It has been so hard for me to let things go. People talk about baggage? Honey, I got a semi full of furniture I've been moving around with me.

One day last week I was trying to figure out how I was going to make 2011 better than 2010 (I know, I know, after all my anti-resolution talk...) and God put an image into my head. Water. Water is the most facinating substance on Earth. Every living creature needs it, no one is allergic to it, it has no taste, and it's the only substance that is lighter in its solid state (so as not to kill all the arctic fishies). Water cleans itself too, BY MOVING. Ask any survival guru and he'll tell you that when given an option, water out of a river is going to be a better bet than water from a puddle for cleanliness. The constant movement of a river rids it of many impurities. It's when water pools and then stops moving that it begins to breed disease.

I think the same is true in my life. The second I stop moving "onward toward what is ahead", the water in my life pools and my past is allowed to seep back in like bacteria. Suddenly I'm knee deep in a cesspool hoping for a life line. It's not just about forgetting or forgiving something once, it's also about a constant movement away from whatever it is that was toxic.

Water also has an amazing ability to wear down obstacles--just ask the Grand Canyon. The little bumps in your river will wear down over time if you just keep moving over them. It may cause a few rapids but eventually calm waters will prevail. The key here is movement. You may not always know exactly where you are going or where you'll end up, but if you follow the stream, the pattern of your life that God is mapping out, then all you really have to do is keep picking up your feet and setting them down. The current will take care of the rest.

Now would probably be a good time to mention that moving outside the flow intended for you can cause serious problems. Ask anyone who has been victim of a flood. Water is destructive and it can destroy quickly. If I were to sit in my past guilt, regret, anger, resentment, and refuse to move, eventually, I would overflow my banks. The nastiness that I had been sitting in would then begin to infect everything around me. Instead of the water bringing life, it would bring illness and disease to whatever it touched. Refuse to forget the past, essentially damming your life, is a surefire way to destroy everyone around you.

Maybe you'll end up in crystal blue of an ocean, or maybe it'll be a crisp, clear mountain stream, but I hope that by the time my river has run it's course I'm in a place that thrives with vibrant life. Maybe I will have worn all my rocks down. Maybe I will have gotten far enough from my past troubles that even as I slow, they can never catch up. Never infect me again. I'll be able to feel pure, unblemished, vital.

I love the image that God gave me in this metaphor. We all need water for life, and God has interwoven it across above and below every surface of the earth since the beginning of time. I figure it's gotten pretty good at doing what it's supposed to, so I'll take my cue from the river and go with the flow.