Happy Holidays!

Christmas time is here (one of my favorite songs, not only during the Christmas season)

I'm not sure why I've become fascinated with holidays recently. As I get older (spoken like a true 23 year old man with just soooo much wisdom), I get more and more confused about our holidays. Maybe not confused as much as curious of how they began, what they have evolved into, how they have evolved over the years since their conception, how I've grown in celebration of how I celebrate holidays, many other thoughts. There's the whole thing about celebrating with other people and the fact that many of them are similarly processing as well... what are they thinking I wonder? Are you curious now too?

What's neat about this for me is that I'm asking questions like I never have before, processing through things I do, almost like the years teenaging but without all the angst, haha. The reason being that I am able to now process everything in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, because the Holy Spirit of God lives in me. Radical statement I know, but nonetheless very much the case. I love it, to know that something is working so deeply inside me in ways I would never imagine, helping me to understand how loved I am in the midst of not just some things in my life, but EVERYTHING. In the words of one of the earliest Christians (Paul)

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. -Romans 1:16

That's why Christmas has been even more wonderful than before this year, I'm finding deep joy in my salvation that speaks to everything about my life, who I am, what and why I celebrate, and what a real relationship with family and friends looks like. Christmas means that God loves us actively not just once 2,000 some years ago. He knows that we are helplessly in need of him, and helplessly unworthy of him at the same time, through grace alone He sent his son to die for us, and ever since has been working in the hearts of those who believe to redeem everything that is broken. That's why as I grow in my relationship with God, and realize just how messed up I am, relationships are, and the world is, I find joy in identifying my faults and brokenness because I know God loves me that much more (and even more than I imagine)!

p.s. When I lived in South Sudan last year there seemed to be no shortage of holidays, like literally twice a week there would be a national holiday of some sort. I'm sure they will be the topic of future posts!