Hey Friends!  IT’S FINALLY HERE!!!  December!  Christmas!  THE CANTATA!!!  WOOHOO!  Seriously, the Cantata is THIS SUNDAY.  Listen, we might be a small church but the Cantata sure is mighty.  Amy, the choir, those playing instruments, and guys in the sound booth do such a great job every.single.year.  Please go if you have never been.  Please go if you have been!

When I first mentioned December and Christmas, what was your response?  Were you happy, sad, or stressed?  I want to go down the stressed road today.  Why are you stressed?  I am going to go out on a limb and say it’s finances.  Am I right?  Let’s talk about it.

When Jon and I got married, we were broke.  And when I say broke, we were broke.  And then BAM!  I got pregnant with Logan.  God planned him perfectly but Jon and I were not prepared.  So after a year of daycare, diapers, formula and all of our other bills that we couldn’t afford, we were bankrupt.  Literally.  The house was in foreclosure.  The cars were getting repo’d.  It was bad.  We had no choice but to declare bankruptcy.  

We wanted to keep everything we had (because we couldn’t afford NOT to).  So we filed a chapter 13 which means we had to pay it all back within 5 years.  And guess what?  We paid it back in 3 years!  But there were a million tears shed.  Lots of hours worked.  And we became a connoisseur of hotdogs.  😏  

When Christmas rolled around during those years, my stomach would hurt because of stress.  I wasn’t worried about Jon and I.  I mean we knew our situation and we just dealt with it.  But Logan.  We loved that little boy more than ANYTHING and we wanted to give him the world (still do).  We never wanted him to know we were struggling.  So it was a facade.  I was so thankful for our families picking up any pieces we fell short on when it came to gift giving.  We got through it.  Logan was not impacted negatively.  And we are better financial stewards because of this time.  So I wouldn’t change it.

So why do we give gifts at Christmas?  I mean hello!  It’s not our birthday, it’s Jesus’s birthday.  And the last I checked, I don’t get gifts on my husband’s birthday.  

I think what is important to remember when giving gifts is the meaning behind it.  2 Corinthians 9:15 says, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”  he wasn’t talking about that Bath and Body Works set you were eyeing.  He’s talking about His son.  The very essence of Christmas is about generosity, kindness, grace and giving.  God gives God for the enjoyment of his people, whom he saves by giving his Son to suffer. That’s beautiful. It is the heart of Christmas.

Second, we give to Christ.  Now, I want to be clear here.  God does not want you to buy anything.  I mean, he has zero use for a Lowes gift card.  He’s not interested in you trading anything with Him.  Seriously, He gave you His son.  You can’t compete with that (and He doesn’t want you to!).  But what He does want…your time.  Commitment from you.  Yes, I know it’s hard and there are a million reasons why “you can’t today”.  But stop and think about what gift would be equal to what He did for you.  I’ll wait.  Spoiler alert!  There’s not one.  You can make time for Him.

Lastly, we need to give in the right mindset.  2 Corinthians 8:2, “for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.”  One more…Hebrews 13:16, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”  When giving gifts, you need to do it in the mindset of giving back to Christ.  That is the gift of trust, hope, admiration, joy and affection.  

So, if you are worried about gift giving at Christmas, please hear me when I say, STOP.  I promise God did not give you His son for you to worry about gifts.  Christmas is truly not about financial hardship.  Your children will love you if you can’t afford that XBox.  And if you can’t afford it, that doesn’t make you less of a parent.  And it sure doesn’t mean you love them less.  

So, if you are someone feeling this stress, please pray.  I would pray specifically for peace, love and joy in your life and for your family.  If you are someone who is more fortunate, remember you are blessed.  Your generosity can positively impact someone’s life forever.  Can you remember a time someone was generous to you?  You have never forgotten it or how it made you feel.  That feeling needs to be shared because it gushes love, joy, trust, and hope…like God.  Like what Christmas should be.

Love you all, 

Jennifer