December, the time of the month where people spend and spend and spend. Promotional ads on sales are pushed to the max, proclaiming to the market that they should buy this and that for their loved ones. People are getting excited and busy, thinking and planning on what to buy, thinking and dreaming of what they would get on Christmas. For the malls, decorations are already up; a mere manner in attracting more crowds to their malls in hopes of more returns. Not only that, churches are busy planning and organizing events, running programs after programs to get people to go to their church and to share this joyous occasion.

I guess in a world where busyness is the emphasis, many lost their “time” to slow down and to enjoy what Christmas has to bring. What is Christmas? It is the time where we are blessed abundantly, where God sent His son on earth to be a blessing to all of us. In the midst of us buying gifts for others, we ought to pause for a moment to savour the blessing that has been poured out to us by heaven. And with that in our heart, we ought to allow that thought to carry through as we purchase gifts to bless others.

The recent trip to an orphanage with my church has opened my eyes to how blessed I am to have parents who care deeply for me, who bear with me through my “bad” and who continue to love me unconditionally. I’m blessed to have parents, relatives and friends who loves me for who I am, for who I was and for who I am aiming to be in life. To see these young people, who, in their lacking of love, grow to be mature, firm and positive, makes me see how different I am as well as my church youth as compared to them. To see the courage in their eyes, to see the fire and desire in their heart to grow and to live this life no matter what comes their way, makes me think about my life, my growth as well as my desire to see the youth in my church to grow deeper in their lives as well.

All these have led to the idea that December is also a month of reflection. It is the time where we reflect how has our year passed, whether there’s any changes they we see in ourselves, how much we have grown through the many months. In the midst of all the busyness around us, there is a need to slow down and to ponder. It is from there that we plan for the next year, the expectations on ourselves, the resolutions that we want to set and etc. Even as we slow down, we ought to savour and learn to be thankful for all that’s in our lives. Be thankful for the family that you have, be thankful for all the material things in your life, and even be thankful for all the hardship and bad things that has happened in your life, for I believe it is through such incidences that you grow to be stronger and mature. Hardship shapes our personality and character even more so than happy times! So count your blessings in life.

James 1:2-4

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

It’s a bit early, but…

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!