I used to love celebrating Christmas when I was on my feet.
Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and I don’t mean it as a comparison; I love Christmas now, even if I’m not on my feet. I love it, even being in my wheelchair. But those memories of Christmas seasons before my accident are pretty precious to me. There were parties and plays, dates and decorating – I used to love wrapping fancy bows on packages (I can still feel the way my hands would work the ribbon and tie the knot). And back when I was on my feet, my sister Jay and I had a holiday tradition we always looked forward to; and that was shopping for family gifts. We’d look for the sales, we’d hit the small boutique stores, we’d rummage the racks looking for a deal on nice gifts for Mom or Dad or my other sisters. Jay and I would traipse through stores, searching for the perfect gifts for everybody in the family.
Then my diving accident happened and it all ground to a halt. I spent that first wet and rainy Christmas in a dreary rehabilitation center in Baltimore. One of the things that hurt me most was I wasn’t strong enough to sit up in a wheelchair yet, so I couldn’t go outside – that meant no shopping for gifts. It only added to the hurt I was already feeling. The way I saw it, God was asking way too much of me. Not only was the use of my body taken away at Christmas time, but also the joy of so many favorite traditions… even something so simple as giving gifts to people I loved. Nothing was right; and everything was wrong.
But the deeper we got into Christmas and talking about the birth of Christ, the more my heart softened. With all the talk about Jesus’ birth, I thought, “You know, maybe I’m concentrating too much on what God is asking of me and not enough on what He’s given me.” Romans 8:32 explains that "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all‑‑how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" And the “all things” God wanted to give me (things on top of the gift of His own Son)… were contentment, peace of heart and mind, quietness in my spirit, and a joy that couldn’t be shaken. Basically, God was asking me to wait on Him and be content in that rehab center that first Christmas I was injured. Was He asking too much of me? Of course not, at least not according to Romans 8:32.
So as I focused on the meaning of Christmas, I realized the best gift I could give Him and others was myself – very much like the gift He gave me. Because when you give yourself, there’s not much more you can give. After all, my mother didn't want a new dress; she wanted to see me smile. My father didn't need a shaving set with new razors; he needed his daughter to laugh. Jay didn't need another sweater; she needed to see me grab hold of hope. And my other sisters didn’t want bracelets or earrings; they wanted to see me content in my disability. Plus, I needed to realize that buying gifts was not about to bring satisfaction; nope, only a satisfied soul only happens when we see how much God has already given us.
If you need more of a reminder, visit me today at joniandfriendsradio.org and sing along with me about the blessings of Christmas. My webpage this week shows a video of my friend Hugh Martin playing his composition “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” but he changed the words to his own song after he came to Christ and rewrote his own lyrics. I’ve got them posted so you can sing along… and download them to share with your family on Christmas. Again, that’s joniandfriendsradio.org. It’s just one way we can celebrate together the wonderful gift of God's Son… He’s graciously given us all things, and that’s really something to pass on as a gift to the ones that you love.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends