Thursday 18 December 2014

True Meaning of Christmas....?



Gifts? Family? Friends? Giving? Christ?

These days Christmas has so many different meanings to many different people. 
 We all know how easy it is to get caught up in the commercialised side of Christmas. Like I said yesterday I am no Scrooge. I love walking around Winter Wonderland soaking up the atmosphere with a Hot Chocolate, looking at all the trinkets and people trying not to fall over on the ice rink.

I love hanging out with my friends and family at this time of year where you are forced to be in a room that is too small for the amount of people. You are listening to your brother and grandpa arguing about the latest advance in technology. Your Granny is telling you about her newest knitting pattern and you are telling the rest of the people in the room about a really interesting concept you read in a book recently when you know no one else really cares (just me?). I just love it. I have been trying to figure out why I love it. It's just one of those things you start to appreciate when you get older (just to be clear I am only 20, I know that sentence makes me sound like I'm 60).

Despite all that happiness and contempt it doesn't take much for that bubble to pop. Well for me it doesn't. Turning over to the news in the middle of a Christmas film. Walking past a homeless person when Christmas shopping. Reading about horrific stories of abuse in the middle of browsing Tumblr. I immediately feel guilty about everything I have and that I am able to have such an enjoyable time when there is so much suffering. In other years I have been able to block it out and continue in this festive universe where nothing bad happens but this year I am facing reality more and more. How do you deal with it? 

For me that is where Christ comes in. This week I felt particularly bad watching the news about the Sydney siege. I think a situation like this where there is loss it causes people to ask questions about God such as 'How can God let this happen' 'Why doesn't God stop the suffering?'. For me it does the opposite it answers my questions 'How can we heal from this?' 'How can we move on from what is broken?'. For me the answer is Christ. I understand that not everyone will agree with me but it is where I seek my comfort in a season which is about the coming of a savour where we are supposed to be cheerful and happy but the suffering doesn't go away.






 Sorry this wasn't the most light hearted of posts but it has been on my mind for the last few days. The next post will not be quite so serious.

Rachel xxx

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