Early on in life Christmas was just about me! What am I going to get? What food am I going to eat? Will there be a lot of things? I asked all the usual questions.
Then later on I was invited to church by one of my life long friends - David. Now I haven't mentioned David yet, but he was a large part of my school-days. The complete opposite of me really. While i was dressed in my solid colored t-shirts, cardigans, and blue jeans, he was dressed in purple pants, cut-up t-shirts, a fossil (as in the dinosaur type) necklace, and shoes that look like hamburgers. While he was the type to have many friends (often for only a couple days at a time...), I was more likely to have only a handful. While he was only content around other people, I was just as happy to be alone. Yeah.... Opposites... Anyways... Back to the story! Like I said, he invited me to church when I was about nine years old. And I loved it! Loved these people who did nothing but sing and shout, clapping their hands all the time. I didn't know what was going on!
I found out later, and I became a Christian. I went with his family every Sunday and Wednesday until I was old enough to drive. But back to the point of this story. It was here at church where the actual meaning of Christmas was taught to me. And yes you have the normal church teachings of the nativity scene - the three wisemen that traveled there, the shepherds that saw the angels, and most importantly the birth of Jesus Christ Savior or Man. But I also learned about the simple joy of giving. I learned how to give with a free heart, and not expect anything in return. I learned that Christmas isn't about how many gifts you have under the tree, or about what's under those wrappings. It's about giving back. It's about sharing. It's about love.
- Jordan
As always - learn freely
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