My heart on Christmas...

I started writing this last week, and it has been on my heart to put out there since probably the beginning of December.

(I deleted a few younger children off my facebook page for the time being. I know it's up to their parents to let them hear and read something like this. I respect the whole parent/guardian thing. And for the record, I've never told any children in my class, or any children at all, that Santa isn't real. I know that isn't my job/position.)


I don't usually parade around with clashing cymbals and big signs, making a big spectacle about how I don't celebrate Christmas and why. But I don't celebrate it and I never will again. And if you ask me why I don't, I will be more than happy to tell you. Personally, I think it is much, much more important to just show people the Love of Christ and through sharing Him with people, they can begin to decide if they want to celebrate Christmas still or not based off how they feel and their heart. It's a choice. Is not celebrating Christmas going to save someone? No! Coming into a true relationship with Jesus and the Father will breathe spiritual life into a soul. What if you don't celebrate Christmas because of the "knowledge" and background someone gives you about it, but you still don't KNOW Jesus. And what a beautiful, power, living Savior He is and can be for your soul. What if you only know Him as words. Or a guy that died on the cross for our sins, but you really don't even understand it or what it means for you and your life. What if He isn't alive in your life? Like truly alive...you just know of Him. But you don't celebrate Christmas because someone told you it's wrong and it's not really Christ's birthday and all the things attached to it are pagan and evil. I think if you start with the relationship part...every thing else will fall into place. The Holy Spirit will lead you and guide you to His plan for your life. And you will begin to do things out of that. The relationship is THE MOST important part. When you begin to truly allow The Holy Spirit into your life and your heart ("I wanna KNOW you intimately Lord! I want you to lead and guide my Life! Because I know with you, I am safe! I know your way will lead me to Life and Love!") and you actually surrender to Him, He will begin to move upon your inner most being like never before and you will never be the same. Then through the unveiling of who He is...the real, raw, true and living God....you can make decisions based off of that.

Before I go any further...I don't want any one to comment on this blog. This is for me to share why I don't celebrate Christmas. Not for there to be some big debate under it between those who celebrate it and those that don't. That's not why I am writing this. To prove a point. Or for anyone else to try and prove a point. I'm just sharing my heart and giving a greater understanding of why I don't, mostly to those that don't understand why I don't and probably think I am coo coo for not because they don't understand. I've expressed to others before why I don't..but it's really in my heart now and I think I can paint a better, clearer picture.

I want to make it clear that I don't Love my family any less for not taking part in Christmas anymore. This has everything to do with my relationship with Jesus. One of the hardest parts of making this change in my life was my family. My family is extremely precious to me and so very near and dear to my heart. ALWAYS. No matter where I am, no matter what it may "seem" like. I love my family deeply and it's a HUGE sacrifice for me to live away from them and not be physically able to be in the mix with them on a regular basis.

I want to begin with a true story. I have to change the name of the woman for professional reasons, being that I am going to mention her work place.
Sarah works at non-christian preschool. However, all the children in her class are Christian. One day, one of the parents gave her a Veggie Tales CD and a Jesus Lullabies CD. The parent had been cleaning out some things at the house and just decided to donate them. Sarah and the parent have become pretty close and talk about the Lord together often. It didn't really seem like anything when she handed the CDs to Sarah.

One day, Sarah's class was in their centers. Some building blocks, some making art, some putting puzzles together. It was really calm. It's not always really calm. So, Sarah decided to put the Jesus lullabies CD on and turn it fairly low. The CD was mostly instrumental anyway. It added to the calmness and peaceful atmosphere the students and Sarah were sharing together.

The next day, as soon as Sarah walked through the doors at work, her boss (the director) met her. With the Jesus lullabies CD. She told Sarah she was not allowed to play music like that. And one of her reasons was, that not every one is the same religion.

Before I go on, I just want to say that I know the director was just trying to do her job. As the director of a "non-christian pre-school".

However...this is what gets me!! You can't play a Jesus lullabies CD at the pre-school, but you can celebrate Christmas?? Isn't that supposed to be in honor of JESUS' "birthday"?? And you bring Easter in too. Which is supposedly about the death and resurrection of JESUS. All the while NOT bringing in any other "holidays" or traditions from any other religions (some schools do, but not all. especially in this particular case). It doesn't make sense.

Oh but it does. Because not one time, is the name of Jesus mentioned in the school. But Santa is! And Rudolf and Frosty. Who are all fake! "We do it for the kids". That gets me too. Because who can save your kid and be a refuge to your kid and protect your kid and heal your kid and lead and guide your kid to goodness and Life and Love? Certainly NOT Santa. Santa is alive to these kids, and Jesus is not.

They know of Him, but they don't know of the power and ability He posses. They know of Him as History and Future but not as the present. Not who He really is and who He can be to even a child, the most impressionable little thing in the world. That could be raised up to be a mighty man or woman of God, the greatest Lover of all. Even as a child...manifesting Light and goodness to others. Touching their hearts. Because even at an early age, they are learning about Jesus and He is alive in their lives.

Instead we give them Santa. We lie to them. Is that what Jesus teaches? To lie? To make something up that isn't real and deceive children? To take all the attention off of Jesus and what's real. I'm sorry, but that just hurts my heart and grieves me on the inside. All through December the kids make Santas and Reindeer and Stockings and Wreaths and Christmas Trees. Teachers and parents lying to them, saying "Santa is watching, you better be good." Or "if you don't be good, Santa isn't going to come." I can't tell you how many times I've heard that, this year alone. It's such deception for their little minds.

Don't children deserve better than that? Don't they deserve the truth? Realness. Don't we want people to be real and truthful to us 24/7? We don't realize how precious and innocent and sponge-like children are. You want to give Children gifts? You want to make them feel special? I'm ALL about that!! I'm not about Santa and Christmas. I'm not about making someone up to bring them these gifts. How much more special do you think it would be for them if all those gifts were given to them from their parents!!?? Or real people. Santa isn't real. Santa can't Love them. But they can sense and feel Love when it's coming from someone real in their life. Someone that means something to them. Someone they NEED Love from.

And don't they deserve Jesus instead? You think it's hard for a child to comprehend that something that is invisible is real. But if you open up Jesus into their lives, you would be surprised how a child can experience Him and Him become more real then you ever thought possible. I witness it every day. Children don't have as much corruption in them as adults. They don't have as much blocking them from the Spiritual realm. All that world weighing down on them. Worrying and thinking all day long. Children are just being. Floating around, being. And it's so easy for Jesus to come into their lives and walk with them every day. Becoming more and more real and tangible. So real that the child could teach us a thing or two.

Ya know...I'm not saying that NO ONE makes Christmas about Jesus. I know there are people's hearts that are really for Him this time of year. But we can't deny the fact that it's defiled. It's not sacred. It's mixed with some evil and pagan backgrounds. It's really the birthday of several god's. Evil gods. Here's just one website where you can read about it. (http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_sel.htm) We think evil doesn't exist? We want to turn our heads away from it and pretend that it isn't there? Look around? God doesn't go into a person and make them murder another. He doesn't cause rape or abuse or hurt or division in families. He doesn't create things to distract us from Him. He doesn't lie to us and torment us about ourselves. Causing low-self esteem, depression, insecurity, anorexia, bulimia. He doesn't want us to compare ourselves to others and compete. Or how bout suicide? What gets in a persons mind and drives them to that point? Certainly not God. Certainly not goodness. If we think for a second, there isn't evil AND there isn't doors we can open for evil to come into our lives, we are very, very wrong. That's why we need Jesus. He is the only one that will not lead us into destruction. You really gotta see the oppression the enemy puts on one's life to want to cry out for something that can save that person. Can you save them? Nope. But Jesus in you and through you can help a person. Evil can be defeated. So let's not put too big of an emphasis on that either. Because Jesus is and always will be bigger than evil. He is THE LIGHT. And wherever there is LIGHT, darkness CANNOT remain.

So, with all of that being said....there is MUCH more on where the traditions of Christmas come from. Santa, Christmas trees, ornaments, wreaths.... If you care to know, just take the time to do the research. If you want to know why you do what you do and if it comes from Jesus or Evil, then just take the time to look it all up. And of course ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to the truth.

For me, I choose not to. And all that I've said is how I feel. I just don't want to be a part of it. I love Jesus and I'm SUPER thankful He was born. And I'll celebrate His birth. Just not on this day. I want to honor Him on more than just a couple days a year.  And being with family and showing them that they are special to me and Him. I'll take the family time, without the Christmas. I found that the word is actually made from two words..Christ and mass. Mass meaning death. If it's about His birth and life, why mass? You can look it up. And if you feel like, Molech too. A god they would sacrifice children to.


On top of all this...in the Bible, the Lord tells us to keep His feasts. Not "Jewish feasts" not "Hebrew feasts", HIS feasts. If you take a deeper look into the feasts, there is a BEAUTIFUL picture of Christ and His Bride. I'm not Jewish, but I do want to keep His feasts and I do. When the Jews set apart a day or week to honor the Lord, they don't play around. It's so sacred and Holy to them. Jehovah is so sacred and Holy to them. And when you can see Jesus and His bride in the feasts, and take part in the symbolism of it, it's a real powerful and reviving time of year.

Do I think I'm better then those that celebrate Christmas? No!! I just experienced some things and read up about some things and this is where I'm at and how I feel. This is what my heart looks like when it comes to Christmas. It means a lot to me.


I'm not perfect and I don't know every thing. I don't mind if you think I'm coo coo. I just really Love Jesus and know what He can do for someone. And I can't stand evil. I can't stand seeing people hurt and in bondage and have to suffer. I hate it! And I know with everything in me that Jesus is freedom! So I will proclaim Him for the rest of my life. And when I die, I hope you will remember me by how I always stood by my Lord and and His Love for me and how I wanted everyone to have Him. And how coo coo I was! lol!! This isn't about people at all. It never is. It's about how much I despise the enemy of God. And what he does to people.

He will be my song for all eternity!
Amen.
Written from the heart of a laid down lover in the making.
-MLB