As you may or may not know, I do not celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday for many of the same reasons I do not celebrate Easter as a religious holiday. I have outlined those reasons in a previous blog, and that is not what this blog is about. While I do not celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday I do celebrate it in a secular way. I exchange gifts with family and friends. I help cook the family-style mashed potatoes. I bake the Christmas cookies and decorate them with red and green icing and sprinkles on top. One of my favorite times of year is the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love to give to others, and I especially love to spend time with family and friends.
In this blog I want to focus on the fact that holidays are wonderful opportunities to share God with family and friends. While many of the people in my family are Christians, many of my family are not Christians. I desire that everyone in my family come to truly know the Lord and obey His commands. I should be taking every opportunity to show Christ to them through my actions, my words, and generally how I live.
It may be that they notice I do not take an alcoholic beverage when others choose to drink. It may be that they notice I do not slip a cuss word when I stumble and stump my toe. It may be that they notice a difference in the relationship I have with my husband or even with others. It may be that they know I am a Christian because I tell them about the Bible and what the Lord has done.
I am usually very good at showing others I am a Christian by the things I do, but I often find it difficult to talk to others about the Lord. Sometimes I think, well, I know, that family members can be the hardest people to talk to about the Lord. I am honestly not sure why, but it is something that I struggle the hardest with. I know that I need to be better at sharing the Lord with my family. Writing this blog has been an encouragement to me to be better at sharing the Lord with my family. Christians should remember to take every opportunity to share the Lord, and sharing the Lord with family during the holidays (as well as at other times) should be no exception.
See the related article: “Bible Stories: Christ’s Birth”