Christmas time can be viewed in a positive or negative way.
For instance, the “Grinch” way of seeing Christmas time which I unfortunately often fall into is – thinking abouthow busy the holiday season is, all of the parties and family gatherings, andfinding presents for everyone, and how cold it is and how everyone seems to getsick around Christmas time.
That’s not a very happy view. It’s not a very healthy view.
How SHOULD you think about Christmas time?
Christmas time or Advent is a time to remember what God has done, is doing, and to look forward to what He will do.
God the Father gave the greatest gift in His Son Jesus who was born, lived, died as the final sacrifice for our sins, and rose to live again and now stands with God as our Advocate. And
In my family, we have a tradition of collecting ornaments that remind us of important life events. We will pick up an ornament and say “Remember when?”
Remember When…
For instance, these ornaments are from my family’s first trip to Disney when I was little and from when my family went back to Disney to celebrate the graduation of my brother, sister and I from college.
Looking at them, I remember sitting outside of the Tower of Terror in 1998 with my Dad while my Mom and Brother were on the ride because we were too scared to go with them. And then I remember in 2014 sitting next to my brother on the ride thinking – I’m going to be brave, I’m an adult now, I’ve got this, and NOPE! Grabbing my brother’s arm at the first drop. It was terrifying and so much fun!
This ornament, we got after our dog bear died. I remember when Bear was only a year old and ran away in a thunderstorm.
I remember when we got the call that someone had seen him, and we drove out and started calling for him. He came running up like in Homeward Bound. He was so excited that he jumped into the front seat of the car and we feed him a whole box of treats on the way home.
My Dad’s Heart Attack
And this ornament, we got after we nearly lost my dad while white water rafting.
We were having a blast going down the river; we got to a calm spot and our guide asked my dad why he wasn’t keeping up with us in paddling.
The guide recognized that the weakness in my dad’s arms were signs of a heart attack.
He guided us to a place where he could get my dad up to the road and get help. A mini-van was parked in the same area.
While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, a mom got out of her mini-van and came up. “I’m here in case my son, who is
As the oxygen rank out, the ambulance pulls up. They load my dad into the back of it but before they could leave, a car pulls up and a woman gets out.
“Hi, I’m a doctor. What’s going on?” She decides to ride along and take charge of my dad – something that very rarely happens. You see, a Paramedic can only do so much before they need a doctor’s approval, now they had a doctor with them.
While in the ambulance, they call a life flight – a helicopter – to come and get my dad. They take him to Erlanger hospital in Chattanooga which is one of the best hospitals in the southeast.
He is immediately wheeled into the cath lab where they identify the blockage
There is more to the story but I’ll stop there. My dad nearly died but GOD protected him. Looking back on that, I know that God protected my family. So, when I’m faced with difficult times now, I can look forward with hope and faith because of what God has done.
Badges – Achievements & Memories
Today, many of you will be receiving badges and patches that you earned so far this program year. Receiving the physical badge is a visual way of recognizing your achievement.
When you look at badges, you will be reminded of what you did to earn them. Perhaps you’ll remember dancing with your friends or learning about airplanes.
Treasure those memories. Write them down and save them. Then you can look back on those memories and say “Remember when…”
These memories may not seem big, but each one is a point of light that when brought together can bring great light.
