Gift of Christmas

Hi!  Glad to get together with you again.  It is beyond frigid here tonight. It is supposed to get down to the ridiculous temperature of -5º!!!  I hate winter.  With a passion.  My favorite time of year is summer, where it is warm all the time.  Yes, it gets really hot here at times with the temps and humidity, but I’ll take it over this anytime.  Anyway, grab something hot to drink and we’ll sit downstairs by the big Christmas tree to talk.  I love Christmas lights.  They are a gift of Christmas to me.

I’m still decorating the house.  Yes, I know, it’s late, but this month has been so crazy. This past week was rough emotionally.  I wrote about it in these posts:  Feelings Do Matter and In Anger.  It’s taken a lot out of me and opened up some wounds and questions.  I have wondered why I’m so easy to be discarded.  However, at least I have truth and know the reality of this relationship.  And while I still struggle through the questions, I also rest in the truth that those who truly know me like or love me.  I have experienced first hand how important it is to value the relationships you’re in by truly taking time to know and care for the other person. Good relationships need both involved parties to be fully invested.  It’s important to learn more and more about each other and, I believe, to talk about and work through the times when we are hurt or believe there is a problem as soon as possible.  When we allow questions and misunderstandings to go unchecked and unresolved, grudges and beliefs about the other person grow like a malignancy and become more important than the truth, if only to protect the sense of our innocence in the matter.  But relationships are much more important and rewarding than our pride.  Being with family and friends is a gift of Christmas that keeps on giving.

With this in mind, I cling even more to the promises this season holds.  At Christmas, we celebrate when the greatest Gift was given – Jesus.  He not only came to die for our sins but to show us how to live and love the way God loves us.  He knows each one of us intimately and He loves us through everything – all the joy, love, family issues, stupid choices, laughter, fear and dreams.  My prayer for you this season is to love those you celebrate with, that you know you are loved and, if you don’t already know Him, that you come to have a relationship with Love Himself.  He is THE gift of Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

~ Joanna Lynn

(Weekend Coffee Share is part of Diana’s blog.  Stop by and check out her blog and spend some time with some amazing bloggers.)