Holidays

Christmas? What can I say? I have never been much more than the "Bah Humbug" type, but none the less it serves many important reminders for us. First and foremost, it should remind us of the Birth of our Savior.

Several weeks ago I was sitting on a plane on a long flight from Calgary Canada and had a revelation of sorts. It was something I will never forget as long as I live. On the opposite side of the plane from where I was sitting, there was a women traveling with a baby. The child couldn't have been more than several months old. Like most children on a flight, they tend to cry a lot when ascending or descending due to their ears hurting from the pressure changes. Everyone else's ears were hurting from the little child's cries.... I however found myself sympathizing with the little guy's dilemma. Due to a childhood illness I have issues with my ears on flights, and I have felt like screaming during a rapid decent myself....

Once the plane reached "It's normal cruising altitude", the child settled down and went to sleep. I found myself looking over at the child. They are so peaceful and cute when they are sleeping. So innocent and helpless, and so trusting. I started wondering where this child would be when it grew up. How he would love. How he would live. Who he would be and the things he would accomplish. It was the same thoughts that I had every time when I hold my own children.

I started thinking, about my own heavenly father and the Christmas nativity. There Jesus lay in the manger. An innocent and helpless child. His Earthly mother and father watching over him. Joseph and Mary had the same thoughts as I did for sure. They knew this child they looked upon was God's son but I can't help but believe that they had the same questions as I did. His heavenly Father and all the Angels were also looking down upon him. Then all of the sudden, something hit me like a ton of bricks.

God and the Angels KNEW what would happen to the Christ that lay there in that Manger. That mere child laying there, would be the Savior of this World. That he would be beaten and whipped, then die on a cross for all of OUR sins. The pain and suffering he felt......... As a father my self, all I could do is sit there and cry just as God and the Angels must have. To say the least, I got some strange looks from other people around me, but it didn't matter. In the end, nothing but God will matter.

I believe that from that day onward I will never be able to look at a nativity scene and think of anything else. Everyone else might look at a nativity scene and hear "Joy to the World", "Silent Night" or "The First Noel". I will look at the same scene and hear "Amazing Grace" and "Oh Come all ye Faithful".

As I have painfully learned this year, our time on this Earth is relatively short. We are children of God, not just creatures of this world. We never know when we will reach the end because we each have our own finish line. Don't just be a spectator, come run the race.

Happy Holidays Everyone!