A Little Faith
Last week, on Monday, my cousin asked me, "So, what do you want for Christmas?" I gave her an "I don't know" look and said, "Nothing, I guess" so she left me alone. On Tuesday, my brother asked me, "What are you getting mom for Christmas?" And I said, "Nothing, I guess". On Wednesday after I finished bathing my dog, I asked her, "You think I should get anybody anything for Christmas?" and she shook her whole body to dry off, "Yeah, I guess your right" I said. On Thursday I went for a walk and one of my neighbors sitting out on their porch waved at me wishing me a Merry Christmas and said, "Are you going anywhere special for Christmas?" I was surprised by the question, but answered simply, "No. Nowhere special, I guess" and I walked on. Friday, I got a Christmas card in the mail from a good friend that read, "Dear Ruth, I hope you are well. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and hope you do something fun on Christmas Day!" and I thought to myself and said, "Ahh... No, nothing fun, I guess". After a long week, came Saturday; the day meant for resting. I casually lay down in a hammock outside my house and closed my eyes. A truck load of teenagers passed by singing a Christmas Carol at the top of their lungs that startled me and I almost fell off the hammock. "Christmas" I said... and thought, "Perhaps I need a Psychiatrist! What is up with Christmas?" Then I went inside and turned on the computer. I opened my email and found 104 unread Christmas Cards, which all read, "Merry Christmas" and sighed, deleting them all. I got on Facebook and started chatting with friends. I explained my lack of enthusiasm about Christmas, and asked why they thought I was being like that. They said it was probably just stress or something, but I thought to myself, "Stress? Nah, nothing like that, I guess".
On Sunday Morning I got up and went to Church as usual, but with an overflowing enthusiasm. The pastor spoke about 5 types of faith. The first three were: Natural, Intellectual, and Historical faith. Historical faith is believing the History of a place or a person even though we did not meet the person or live during that time. He said that most people have this kind of faith in Jesus and that, “These first three levels of faith operate in the realm of your mind and have nothing to do with spiritual faith.”. It was then that I realized what was, not just the lack of enthusiasm, but also the source of discontentment on my part about Christmas and all that it implies. It was the subconscious knowledge that the other 2 types of faith are missing in the ingredients of Christmas in the eye of the public. Saving faith, and Miraculous faith are those ingredients. For by grace are ye saved through faith… if you have the faith of a grain of mustard seed, you can tell that mountain, “Move” and it will move!
On Monday my little brother asked again about gifts, “So, what do you want to Christmas?”. I looked at him, smiling, and said, “I want a little faith.” My little brother laughed and asked, “That’s it?”. I smiled again and said, “No… I would like everyone to have it too… and not just any faith, but the faith that saves; the faith that moves mountains. The kind of faith that transforms a person! I also wish the mindset about Christmas wouldn’t be as shallow as gift-giving, or saying, “Merry Christmas”, or putting up a tree, or tales about Santa Clause. I am tired of it all… it carries no purpose when we always look forward to the pettiness of gifts, the tree, or Santa Clause. I would like for Christmas, to quit being just Christmas, and start being, a time of faith… the kind of faith that can only come from God. I wish Christmas could quit being about gifts and Christmas trees, and be about God, and our faith and walk in Him. That is what I want for this December… so that I can, through that faith, embrace the New Year with new strength, new hopes, and new dreams! That I can soar through life with wings like eagles. Yeah… that is what I want!”
Disclaimer: This story's events, although based on some true happenings, are not thoroughly historical.
On Sunday Morning I got up and went to Church as usual, but with an overflowing enthusiasm. The pastor spoke about 5 types of faith. The first three were: Natural, Intellectual, and Historical faith. Historical faith is believing the History of a place or a person even though we did not meet the person or live during that time. He said that most people have this kind of faith in Jesus and that, “These first three levels of faith operate in the realm of your mind and have nothing to do with spiritual faith.”. It was then that I realized what was, not just the lack of enthusiasm, but also the source of discontentment on my part about Christmas and all that it implies. It was the subconscious knowledge that the other 2 types of faith are missing in the ingredients of Christmas in the eye of the public. Saving faith, and Miraculous faith are those ingredients. For by grace are ye saved through faith… if you have the faith of a grain of mustard seed, you can tell that mountain, “Move” and it will move!
On Monday my little brother asked again about gifts, “So, what do you want to Christmas?”. I looked at him, smiling, and said, “I want a little faith.” My little brother laughed and asked, “That’s it?”. I smiled again and said, “No… I would like everyone to have it too… and not just any faith, but the faith that saves; the faith that moves mountains. The kind of faith that transforms a person! I also wish the mindset about Christmas wouldn’t be as shallow as gift-giving, or saying, “Merry Christmas”, or putting up a tree, or tales about Santa Clause. I am tired of it all… it carries no purpose when we always look forward to the pettiness of gifts, the tree, or Santa Clause. I would like for Christmas, to quit being just Christmas, and start being, a time of faith… the kind of faith that can only come from God. I wish Christmas could quit being about gifts and Christmas trees, and be about God, and our faith and walk in Him. That is what I want for this December… so that I can, through that faith, embrace the New Year with new strength, new hopes, and new dreams! That I can soar through life with wings like eagles. Yeah… that is what I want!”
Disclaimer: This story's events, although based on some true happenings, are not thoroughly historical.
