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Thursday, December 18, 2008

Believe

I have been seeing the word “Believe” all over the place during the season. Heck, I have it in a glass block, as well as a wooden one in two different decorated areas of my home. I guess it’s associated with the idea of believing in Santa –or in the magic of Christmas, etc.
Mom never allowed us to believe in Santa Claus. We were the mean kids who told other kids that he wasn’t real. For her own reasons, she took a very firm stance on leaving him out of her home where the holidays are concerned.
Christmas has been no less magical to me though. A few days ago we had a ward party that I attended. After a few musical numbers, the primary children performed a nativity with the reading of the Christmas story from the Bible. It was so beautifully touching. Ella got to be an angel –and she kept waiving to all of the people she knew. :) This, in comparison to last year’s meal and visit from Santa was so much more satisfying as a Christmas memory I’d like to keep. The magic of this season struck me at that time. It’s the divinity of the Christ-child, coming to Earth to save us all. It’s a time to be celebrated, and revered with humble gratitude.

Do I believe? I use the words from my brother John: “A statement of belief is more powerful than one of knowledge because it cannot be contradicted and it demands no proof. Therefore, I make here a statement of what I have willfully chosen to believe…” and that is that Christ died for us. He died for each of us personally, and he knows us individually. He understands our heads when we feel things aren’t working correctly. He understands our hearts when they burst with the love we have for others, or struggle with losing them. He hears us when we beg for mercy, or sing praises of gratitude. He’s there in the quiet moments of normalcy, be it while making a sandwich for Ella, or driving in my car. I believe that our God is a loving God. When I lost my old high-school best friend Carter to suicide, the note he’d left for his wife simply said (written in a different language) “God Is Kind” –and there it is. I believe there is a plan for each of us. I believe that this magical season is actually so because of the miracle of His life. May we each let Him into our own, and BELIEVE.