Every year we often hear people say that Christmas is for kids (Ang pasko ay para sa mga bata…), something I’d like to ponder upon this Christmas season.
Is Christmas really for the kids? If so, why? Let me share my views on this. I’ll answer the question primarily with a NO.
NO. From a capitalist perspective, Christmas is never about the kids. It’s about them, the bigwigs in business and the profit that they will gain out of luring the kids to buy their not-so-good goods and motivating them to have tantrums if their wants are not granted. Nowadays, there are so many things that you can find around the market that weren’t available in shops before, from the most unusual electronic gadget to the most out-of-this-world fashion accessories. Ever wondered why I-pod, I-phone, and I-pad lured you and the other kids to have them? Well, the Apple had a bite, and it’s waiting for you to take the bait.
(N.B. The Bible didn’t mention that the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is an apple. DISCLAIMER: I’m not saying that buying these is equal to being evil. But LONGING for these to the extent of obsession and depression is evil.)
NO. From a political perspective, Christmas is never about the kids. It’s about them, the gansters and mafias seated in leather swivel chairs inside the big House called the government. “‘Tis the season of giving” they say. But should their not-so-angelic faces be plastered all over the “gifts” that they distribute among their constituents (a.k.a. voters)? I wonder how these people stomach sashaying gifts that were bought out of taxpayers’ money.
NO. From an employee’s perspective, Christmas is never about the kids. It’s about the double-pay, the additional compensation that they will get from sacrificing joy in the name of duty. Of course, some employees would really work over time for the sake of their children. But is it worth it? Can money really cover what kids really need? (most especially during Christmas?)
If Christmas is for kids, how do we see kids? How do we understand their NEEDS more than their WANTS?
Wait.
Who are the KIDS in the first place? If we will define kids as naïve, dependent, and trivial, then I am a kid, you are a kid, we are kids!
If we are naïve (as in we don’t understand some of the things that happen in our lives), dependent (as in we can’t live on our own), and trivial (as in we find joy out of the not-so-important things, specially material things) then YES, Christmas is for kids, like us because the real spirit of Christmas is not about the gifts that you give and receive, it’s about the greatest gift, the greatest sacrifice that God has given to us.
Most of the time, we celebrate Christmas only on the basis of Jesus’s birth. We fail to celebrate a much bigger occasion, His death—the ultimate and incomparable example of love, of giving.
Yes. Christmas is for kids like us because it’s a constant reminder that we are kids: Naïve, Dependent, and Trivial; that we are kids who need Jesus in our lives because we cannot do things on our own. We can only be successful in this life if we realize and accept that we need Jesus beside us in all the things that we do.
Have a blessed Chrismas and New year, KIDS!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Daily Battles
For almost 10 years now, I have been living a life back and forth Cavite and Manila, and in all those years I have been blessed with the protection of God against the “evil elements” that lurk around us. However, with what happened to my loved ones this week, I paused for a while to reflect about God’s protection.
Was I really protected or was it just mere “luck”? Why did it happen to my family, aren’t they supposed to be protected too?
What battles do we encounter everyday? Does God really protect us from the enemies? If He does, then why do we still struggle to survive the daily battles that we face?
I cannot answer all these questions now, or I may not be able to answer them clearly, but let me try to share the reflections that God revealed to me through Bible studies and daily devotions.
First, there are different battles that we encounter everyday. Spiritual, emotional, and physical are probably the most general categories of battles that we face. I’ll start with the spiritual, since I think this is the main source of other battles. John Bevere, in his book “Under Cover” discusses that the root cause of all the curses and problems that we encounter is Sin. I won’t discuss them in detail here (1) because I can’t, (2) because it would be better if you will read it for yourself and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you through.
“So are you telling me that the reason for my problems is Sin?”
“Yes.”
“And why are you telling this? Aren’t you a sinner yourself?”
“I am. And that’s one of the biggest daily battle that I face: the battle against SIN. (And that’s why I’m sharing this to you, because most likely, you are in a battle yourself.)”
From spiritual comes emotional. Later, we would worry too much, we would get in love and would be hurt too much; we would get mad and would hate too much; we would lose and would curse, and so on and so forth.
From emotional comes physical. Because our emotions are affected, we tend to express it too much through words and actions. We curse the people we hate at times even hurting them (and ourselves) physically.
Second, God protects us. That’s for sure. But the problem is, we don’t allow Him to protect us. In Matthew 7:7-8, we learn that if we ask it will be given to us, if we seek we will find, and if we knock, the door will be opened for us. God offers an indestructible bunk that would protect us from the enemies, but the problem is we just don’t knock! How will we get in if we prefer to stay outside? How are we going to be protected if we prefer to be in danger?
Third (which is probably the most difficult question to answer), we continue to have struggles because God wants us to learn to depend on Him. The problem with human pride is our claim that we can do things on our own, that we are independent from God. This is exactly what the Devil told Eve when the snake persuaded her to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
“Ok Wait, I never boastfully told God that I can live my own life without him!”
“Yeah, you might have not said it, but in some little ways, we may not be aware that we’ve been doing it.”
Most would argue that since God gave us the intelligence, the ability to rationalize compared to other creatures that He made, we should use it to decide for our own lives. What we miss is the fact that in everything that we do, we should always ASK for God’s plan, SEEK for his answers, and KNOCK for our minds to be opened.
The incidents made me worry about the safety of my family. It made me ask the questions above. But God gave me the peace that I am looking for. Truly, “He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside quiet waters”. (Psalms 23:2)
Most people see these daily battles as curses, but Jesus’s disciples should see them as opportunities to depend to God. We should see these battles as blessings, after all “all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Was I really protected or was it just mere “luck”? Why did it happen to my family, aren’t they supposed to be protected too?
What battles do we encounter everyday? Does God really protect us from the enemies? If He does, then why do we still struggle to survive the daily battles that we face?
I cannot answer all these questions now, or I may not be able to answer them clearly, but let me try to share the reflections that God revealed to me through Bible studies and daily devotions.
First, there are different battles that we encounter everyday. Spiritual, emotional, and physical are probably the most general categories of battles that we face. I’ll start with the spiritual, since I think this is the main source of other battles. John Bevere, in his book “Under Cover” discusses that the root cause of all the curses and problems that we encounter is Sin. I won’t discuss them in detail here (1) because I can’t, (2) because it would be better if you will read it for yourself and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you through.
“So are you telling me that the reason for my problems is Sin?”
“Yes.”
“And why are you telling this? Aren’t you a sinner yourself?”
“I am. And that’s one of the biggest daily battle that I face: the battle against SIN. (And that’s why I’m sharing this to you, because most likely, you are in a battle yourself.)”
From spiritual comes emotional. Later, we would worry too much, we would get in love and would be hurt too much; we would get mad and would hate too much; we would lose and would curse, and so on and so forth.
From emotional comes physical. Because our emotions are affected, we tend to express it too much through words and actions. We curse the people we hate at times even hurting them (and ourselves) physically.
Second, God protects us. That’s for sure. But the problem is, we don’t allow Him to protect us. In Matthew 7:7-8, we learn that if we ask it will be given to us, if we seek we will find, and if we knock, the door will be opened for us. God offers an indestructible bunk that would protect us from the enemies, but the problem is we just don’t knock! How will we get in if we prefer to stay outside? How are we going to be protected if we prefer to be in danger?
Third (which is probably the most difficult question to answer), we continue to have struggles because God wants us to learn to depend on Him. The problem with human pride is our claim that we can do things on our own, that we are independent from God. This is exactly what the Devil told Eve when the snake persuaded her to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
“Ok Wait, I never boastfully told God that I can live my own life without him!”
“Yeah, you might have not said it, but in some little ways, we may not be aware that we’ve been doing it.”
Most would argue that since God gave us the intelligence, the ability to rationalize compared to other creatures that He made, we should use it to decide for our own lives. What we miss is the fact that in everything that we do, we should always ASK for God’s plan, SEEK for his answers, and KNOCK for our minds to be opened.
The incidents made me worry about the safety of my family. It made me ask the questions above. But God gave me the peace that I am looking for. Truly, “He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside quiet waters”. (Psalms 23:2)
Most people see these daily battles as curses, but Jesus’s disciples should see them as opportunities to depend to God. We should see these battles as blessings, after all “all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
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