Thankfulness

So . . . it's Boxing Day!  

The day where everyone wakes up early (or even camps out at the mall) and lines up for "great, cheap, deals."  Yet, despite all the business at the shopping malls, something just doesn't feel right. 

Flashback to yesterday.  Christmas Day.  People all over the world celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.  The one true hope for our world.  So why is it that the attitude and focus of so many people can change just after one day?  What happened that made our thoughts and focus change so quickly?

As I was reading my devotion on thankfulness this morning, a thought crossed my mind.  Here in Canada, we are so fortunate to have an abundance of blessings in our lives.  Our basic necessities are cared for, and the authorities are fair and just.  Canadians have rights and freedoms guaranteed to them.  As Christians, we can show our faith in God without being afraid or worried of being put in prison or killed.  Yet with everything we have, there is still a part of our hearts that is selfish, greedy, and ungrateful.

Naturally, all humans were born to be selfish.  It is a part of our imperfect human nature.  However, since God's provision and fingerprints are all over our lives, I think it is only right and pleasing in God's eyes that we are thankful for everything we have.

Now, I'm not saying that Boxing Day is a horrible way to wrap up the holiday season.  The point is, we should live a lifestyle of thankfulness towards God for His sacrifice and for everything He has given us.  

As the devotion says, "Continual thanks leads to a constant peace.  God's heart is good, and He is generous toward His children.  Make a choice to be thankful."

Holiday Spirit?

It's official - Christmas is coming, and so are the holidays!  The real question is, do I have the holiday spirit?  (The feeling of happiness and cheer accompanied by a certain holiday season) 

As many of you may know, this holiday season has a bittersweet taste to it.  It has been one year since my grandfather went to be with God.  All of this has brought a roller coaster of emotions resulting in both good and bad.  It pointed me towards my baptism, but it also resulted in months of ignorance and running away from God.  

Christmas time is sort of a reflection time for me.  Reflection of what happened in the year, and my goals for the upcoming year.  It is a time for me to listen to what God wants me to do with my life, and how He will accomplish it.  Christmas is a time for family and friends, warmth, hope, love, peace, and joy.  It's a time for celebration because of Jesus' birth and His sacrifice.  

Other than spending time with family, Christmas is a time to be thankful for what we have.  The snow usually gets pretty deep this time around the year, and we long for a feeling of lasting warmth. Enjoy the fireplace!

~Naomi

How do you usually spend your Christmas season? Any traditions your family has?  
Comment below! 

Testimony

On Sunday, I got baptized.  One of the most amazing moments in my life.  A public proclamation that I LOVE AND FOLLOW JESUS.  As usual, I was asked to share my testimony in front of the congregation.  So I did.  Here it is.

Testimony

I was born and raised in a Christian family, and have been going to church for as long as I can remember.  When I was three years old, I accepted Christ into my heart with the help of my mom.  This was significant because the day after, I was diagnosed with a minor heart condition.  Knowing I was a part of God's family brought comfort to my parents.  Soon, I went through surgery, and all was well.  After I accepted Christ, nothing really changed.  Although I was young, I still continued my sinful ways. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but that knowledge was always in the back of my head.  All of the knowledge I learned at church stayed in my head and I almost never applied anything I learned.  For the following years, I followed the same routine.

            In December 2006, our family moved to Edmonton to be closer to my grandparents.  I didn't understand why we had to leave all of our friends.  I wasn't really close to anybody on my dad's side of the family, and I didn't want to leave my comfort zone.  Unfortunately, I had no say in the decision.  My dad explained to me that we were following God's plan by relocating.  However, moving to Edmonton would later prove to have been a good choice. 

In 2011, I attended my first year of SYC.  As expected, it was life changing in more ways than one.  I realized the way I was living my life wasn't the way Jesus wanted me to.  The way I treated other people didn't align with what Jesus had taught in the Bible.  With the help of Esther, I re-dedicated my life to Christ.  This time, I was determined to make a change in my lifestyle.  I decided I needed to apply everything I had learned since I was little.  I started reading my Bible again and praying whole-heartedly.

Recently in the past year, death and heaven became a reality in my life.  My grandpa passed away last December, which resulted in a roller coaster of emotions.  One of those emotions was anger towards God.  I was angry at God for taking away my grandpa and not leaving me enough time with him.  I entered a very deep, dark place.  As a result of my guilt and anger, I stopped communicating with God.  Gradually, I stopped praying and reading my Bible. I fell away from the one thing that could save me.  Soon life became very chaotic for me and the people around me.  Along with hormonal changes, the next couple months were an extremely difficult experience.  Finally, I realized what I had been doing was wrong.  Speaking from experience, living a life without Jesus is impossible.   

This was my pivotal moment.  This realization made me stop my ignorance of God.  This is the reason why I am standing here right now.