Book Navigation
  • Hire
    Writers
    Editors
  • Home
  • Read
    What's
    New
  • Join
    Faith
    Writers
  • Forum
  • My
    Account
    Login
  • Shop
    Save
    Support
  • Book
    Store
  • Learn
    About
    Jesus
Return to Content
  • Read Our Devotional
  • Opportunities to be Published
  • Detailed Navigation
The Home for Christian Writers! Matthew 6:33

Holidays

ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BY COMMENTING
  Leave Comment   Message Writer
  Hire Writer
Report Article
  Track Writer
  Add to Favorites
Tis the Season

by DeAnna Brooks
12/07/07
Free to Share
Author requests article critique

  Message Writer Mail
  Hire Writer

Tweet

'Tis the Season



'Tis the season.

Merchants began declaring it such before October even set, commercialization blaring the "give me, give me" chatter so adept at drowning out Thanksgiving ... again.

Christmas has always been a conflicted time for me, strangely. Roots of that tension undoubtedly come from a mother whose favorite holiday is Christmas, and a father whose spiritual upbringing never quite felt at home with a celebration inevitably focused far more on the temporal flesh than the unmerited gift of a Divine Babe.

Though mercy and grace beautifully draped its mantle over the Christmas season in my home, I've walked this convoluted soil all my life, never really finding a peaceful resolution in my heart.

Celebrate Christmas.

Don't celebrate Christmas.

Fully acquainted with the reasoning behind both positions, I admit it's not a season I look forward to.

However, year after year, I've opted for celebrating ... often at the price of my conscience, which seems to become an injured participant regardless of which option I choose.

This year my Christmas tree is especially beautiful. It's six foot height bears seven strands of tiny lights meticulously woven in and out and around, bottom to top, branch tip to branch tip.

After bringing in my tree the day after Thanksgiving, looking at it standing there, branches lifted upward, I couldn't see anything to celebrate, other than the sameness of doing so this time of year. All I could see was death.

Maybe its because for the past 2-1/2 years my pastor has faithfully spent each Sunday teaching from the gospel of Luke, and last Sunday he finished his fourth week on the crucifixion.

Interesting timing.

Tree. Crucifixion. Death.

Yet, here I stood, before a decorated dead tree.

Then, the unexpected.

From death came life, with the flip of a switch. Or so it felt.

The lights came on.

This year my Christmas tree stands far more adorned than ever before. And in an instant, what seemed an embellishment of death suddenly took on the celebration of life. The tree exuded life's miracle, casting darkness to the furthest corners of the room where even there darkness wasn't allowed to linger.

Ornaments, which in themselves seemed so out of character with the tree on which they hung, suddenly reflected a light outside themselves ... seeming to become one with it.

The light shone through the room, out the door, down the corridors of time until it focused on a darkened hillside, and a twisted tree bearing its own ornament.

An ornament hung by man's hand ... a horrific message of death.

An ornament lovingly, painfully, held in place by a Father's hand ... an eternal gift of Divine light ... and life.










© DeAnna Brooks
6 December 2007

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
Lucian Thompson
07 Dec 2007
DeAnna, your God given talent to make words come alive has blessed me so much with this realization of the reason for the season. I, also, have mixed feeling at this time of the year. I always reflect on where I am in my spiritual walk and what God has for me in the days ahead. This year I will look at my tree in a different light as I reflect on your words of wisdom and truth. May God bless you and your family and have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS. You are greatly loved.

This article has been read 1327 times    < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by DeAnna Brooks or search for other articles by topic below.
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:
Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.

NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL


God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You


...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19

Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38

LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE

The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.




Home  |   My Account  |   What's New  |   Site Map  |   Contact Us  |   Help  |   Blog
Monthly Newsletter  |   SITE INFO  |   Link To Us  |   Become A Member  |   Sponsors  |   ADVERTISING