Dear God, Thank You For The Christmas Present

I got into Saudi Monday night, ready for two weeks of sweat pants, The Khan, shawarmas, and no work- and soon after learned that i needed to help Yez write her talk for that Friday.

After fighting jet lag, with little success this round, Wednesday we wrote that talk, giving her all my wonderful Christmas talk ideas. Only to learn late Thursday night, that i too would be required to write a talk so my dad didn't have speak as long. Except at this point, i had already exhausted all my Christmas ideas and clever Christmas related Dr. Suez quotes.

So finishing my talk at 2:50 Friday morning,i got it done! And then had to be ready by 7:30 to leave for church in Ras Tanura. We took a wrong turn at some point, had to make a very illegal detour off the road, down a sandy dune-like hill to the road beneath, but, we made it to church on time! We all gave our Talks, only to discover that my dad in fact did not require my extra minutes, and actually took sacrament 15 minutes over time, without even finishing his talk.

Disgruntled as i was at the last minute speaking assignment, it was a wonderful opportunity for me to remind myself about the true meaning of Christmas. I, unfortunately, am one of the many poor souls who throughout the years of ornaments, traditions, and presents had forgotten the real Christmas spirit that we celebrate this season. That is, the great and miraculous blessing of Christ's birth to this mortal earth so many years ago, and the many miracles he preformed, and the final suffering he took upon himself so that we may be saved.

Sometimes it seems to me that it is around Christmas time, where we really seem to loose the true meaning of Christmas. That is, Christ. The blessing that Christ is in our lives, and the spirit of giving and service.

We celebrate that hope we now enjoy because God dwelt among us, living and dying for us.

And now because of Christ…..because of Christmas…..We can live again, with our families, after our mortal death.

This is what the chirstmas spirit is all about. It is HIS Spirit, the CHRISTmas Spirit, the spirit we should strive to have within us, and to share with others unceasingly.

Christmas IS about a gift. But, not so much the gifts we wrap and lay under tree. Christmas is about THE gift of CHRIST.

God gave us the first gift….the Messiah, the babe in the manger, Our Jesus Christ.

“For God so loved the world that He GAVE His one and begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

And so may our hearts always be filed with the Christmas spirit. We do not need a holiday to express the spirit of CHRIST, let us show kindness, service, and CHRIST like love all-year-round.

.Ramzi