Spiritual Sundays - What Do you Believe In?

Today is rather an off day for me because Hubby and I didn't get out to a service. We are both fighting a bug in our systems and decided to stay at home and mend.

I've been pondering what to share today and the question, "What do you believe in?" keeps coming to mind.

Throughout the stores this time of year, we see the words Believe, Hope, and Love among others, on the shelves and it got me to thinking about that; the word Believe, I mean.

When I was a little girl, my parents, my father in particular, made Christmas a very magical time. They decorated the house to the hilt and my brother and I were especially well behaved at that time of year so that the big jolly fellow dressed in red would be sure to leave presents under our tree.

I was eight when I found out there was no such thing as a real Santa Claus and I was devastated! My mother tried to convince me that the little neighborhood boy who told me there was no Santa, was actually telling me a fib and to not pay any attention to him.

Well, the bubble had been burst and from that day on, Santa was only a figment of my imagination. The disappointment in finding out the truth however made an indelible impression upon me. I felt that my parents had betrayed me. My beloved grandmother had passed away so I couldn't go running to her with my million questions. I had to reevaluate all of my beliefs. I had to search for truth on my own.

From the time I was a little girl, we had gone to church and I believed in God and wanted to live for Him. Somehow I knew in my heart that He was real and that He loved me and cared about everything that happened in my life.

I remember I was nine years old when I wrote a poem to Jesus telling Him how much I loved Him. It was Christmas Day, after all the gifts had been opened and my mother was getting dinner ready. I was lying on the floor in front of the tree, penning the words to my poem when my mother walked in and found me doing that. She didn't understand why a nine year old would be doing such a thing; it wasn't normal behavior! She thought I should have been colouring in my new colouring book or playing with my new doll; anything other than what I was doing. The truth of the matter was, Jesus was real to me and I somehow knew He would never disappoint me, lie to me, or leave me. I BELIEVED in Him and I wanted to tell Him so in my poem.

So, what does the word believe mean? The dictionary defines believe as: to accept, to rely upon, to have confidence in, to have faith in. The scripture verse Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."

We never promoted Santa in our home while our boys were growing up. We wanted them to know the truth from the get-go. At Christmastime, our focus was on Christ and why He came. My children did not suffer from not believing in Santa Claus but instead they valued the true meaning of why we celebrated the season. They believed in Jesus and in His miraculous birth.

Christmas isn't about presents, eating fruitcake, and going to concerts although those are all a very enjoyable part of it. So my question today is, "What do you believe in?"

Our Bridge Builder

A Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes,

Lying in a manger-

To some He is the Son of God,

To others, He's a stranger.

It's sad to think that all don't know

His true identity-

That He is both true God and man

Who came to set us free.

If only they would recognize

The power of His name,

It would change their lives forever,

They'd never be the same.

For only He can bridge the gap

Left open by our sin.

He alone can welcome us

To heaven from within.

How blessed are they who understand

The reason why He came.

How blessed are they who put their trust

In Jesus' precious name. - Frances Gregory Pasch

The Lord bless you and make you a blessing this week!