If I speak in the tongues of Christmas materialism and greed but have not love, I am only a tinny Christmas song or an out of tune choir.
If I have the gift of knowing what Aunt Agatha will give me
this year and can even understand last year's present, and if I have the faith
that I won't get yet more socks and ties this year but have not love, I am
nothing.
If I clear out the house and give everything to charity and
my credit cards are snapped in half but have not love, what can I possibly
gain?
Love is patient when the fourth store you've tried doesn't
have a bottle garden.
Love is kind and lets the couple with only a few items go in
front of you and your bulging shopping cart.
Love does not envy your friend who gets mega-presents from
everybody.
Love does not boast about the $1200 bike, the iPad, the TV,
cell phone, and computer your dad gave you.
Love does not attempt to out-buy, out-wrap, and out-give the
rest of the family just to impress.
Love doesn't cut Aunt Flo off your Christmas card list
because she forgot you last year.
Love is not self-seeking and leaves a copy of your Christmas
list in every room of the house.
Love is not easily angered when the young girl at the
checkout takes forever because she is just temporary staff.
Love doesn't keep remembering how many times your mum
forgets you don't like brussel sprouts.
Love does not delight in the commercial bandwagon but
rejoices with the truth of a baby born in the stable.
Love always protects the family from Christmas hype.
Love always trusts that the hiding places for presents will
remain secret for another year.
Love always hopes that this year more neighbors will drop in
to your open house coffee morning.
Love always perseveres until the cards are written, the
presents all bought, the shopping done, and the Christmas cake iced.
Toys may break, socks wear thin but love never fails.
Where there is the feeling of the presents to guess their
contents, and mum going on about being good so Father Christmas will come, and
searching through the cupboards to find your hidden presents, they will all
stop.
For we think we know what we are getting, and we hope we
know what we are getting but when Christmas Day arrives all will be revealed.
When I was a child I talked with big wide-open eyes about
Christmas, thought that Christmas was all about me; I reasoned that Jesus
should have been born more often. When I became an adult, I forgot the joy,
wonder, and excitement of this special time.
Now we just hear about the angels, shepherds, and wise men,
then we shall see them all the time. Now I know as much as the Bible says about
the first Christmas, then I shall know just how many wise men there were and where
they came from.
Now three things remain to be done:
To have faith that the baby born in a stable is the Son of
God.
To hope that the true message of Christmas will not get
discarded with the wrapping paper and unwanted gifts.
And the most important: to have a love for others like the
one that God has for us.
Copyright 2001 Claire Jordan (caleb@eurobell.co.uk).
Permission is granted to send this to others, but not for commercial purposes.