A Sacred Story

 

    A sacred story is a story special to you, your family, culture, or nation.  God's sacred story helps people live a life of faith.  It helps them relate to the past that they never experienced.  It opens the door for us to have a relationship with our creator.

    There are factors that will interfere with the sacred story of Christmas or Easter.  The world tries to demolish the value of Jesus' story to stop worship and make it superficial.  Some deterrents are traffic, weather, travel, shopping, money, wait times, going into debt, exhaustion, feeling rushed, wrapping gifts, guilt, anger, groceries, outfits, the clean up, and more.

    We have to fight for what we believe. We have to work to stay focused during the holidays on what they are really about.  Why do we have holidays.  It is supposed to be a time of rest and worship.  It is a time to stop and remember God's eternal love.

    Gifts are nice at Christmas and birthdays, but Jesus is the real gift.  It is His birthday celebration.  Instead of focusing so much on what you get other people, focus on what you can give Jesus on His birthday.  Gifts can be forgiving someone, embracing your eternal security reaching out to other people to offer them the same gift, spending more time in prayer for other people, and more.

    The point of the sacred story is to bring gratitude to your heart for all that God does for you.  We need set to reminders (holidays) to put our energy into obedience with thanksgiving instead of our daily selfish drives.  We can stop for a moment to thank God for all that we take for granted every day.  Remember your gifts, abilities, and talents to thank God for making you who you are.  Take joy that supersedes the trials you face.  What God gives you can't be wiped away.

    Find cheer on the holidays and give it to the people that need it most.  It is a gift to be able to bless other people.  It is rarely materialistic things either.  You can pray for them, go to them and just be with them, feed them, or do something that makes them feel good.  It is a gift to let people know that you are thinking about them and that they are not forgotten.  Give the person or people what no one else may be able to give them: your talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts.

    It is the grace of God that get some people through the holidays and difficult times, but you can do your part to make it easier.  You can comfort someone's sorrow.  It may be just a text, call, cooking for them, sitting in silence, or something else.  If you are a Christian, then you know that Heaven is awaiting your arrival.  Make sure that they know that too.

Luke 2:1-7