I Love a Parade!!

I love Christmas parades! It starts on Thanksgiving Day with the Macy's parade and just goes from there!

I love to stand in the cold with my hands wrapped around a cup of hot cider or hot chocolate and watch all the floats go by.

I love to hear the Christmas music playing and singing along (mostly out of tune I might add!).

And let me let you in on a secret.......come closer.....I still love to grab for the candy that's thrown from the floats!!!

At this time of year I am still truly a kid at heart.

With all the glitz and sparkles and music and lights it's easy to take our focus off of why we even celebrate this holiday anyway. Our family fully shares, believes, talks about the fact that it's all about Jesus. Had He not been so willing to give up everything and come to this earth, how without hope we'd all be right now. I mean, can you even begin to imagine being up in Heaven, hanging out with God, enjoying all that has to offer and leaving it?? Not me. I have a feeling that once I get there, I'm going to have no desire to leave.

This time of year though, also has me taking a look at Mary. In that day and time it was perfectly normal and acceptable for girls 13, 14 years of age, to marry and begin families, but here was a young girl who had been notified by an angel that she was going to give birth to the Messiah. Although betrothed, she wasn't married, hadn't known a man. How was she ever going to explain that?? She couldn't. I fully believe that's why God sent Joseph his own angel.

It's not like today when we see an unwed pregnant girl. We may have those thoughts of "poor thing", or "she's so young", but it's become the "norm" in our society. Mary had to have been laughed at, made fun of, talked about. I think people may have walked on the other side of the street just to avoid contact with her. Unwed, Jewish girl..pregnant. How many looked at her in disgust and even if she tried to explain, everything she tried to explain wouldn't make sense to human ears.

Yet she held such a place of honor in Heaven. The one chosen to give birth to the One Who would save us from our sins! I am amazed when I think about what an amazing young woman she must have been! For God Himself to choose her from so many young women!

I think about Joseph and how much ridicule he must have had to endure. The scandalous talk that must have been going around their town and the fact that he was still willing to marry her!! He must have lost his mind!!

Have you ever wondered what Mary and Joseph's parents must have thought?? The Bible doesn't say but I can imagine that things didn't go over too well when they told them. But then, Mary being the young woman she had grown to be, has to say something for her parents. So maybe they were upset and then in awe of the fact their daughter had been chosen to be the vessel used to bring the Messiah into this world.

Not unlike today, those 2 families struggled with the right thing to do. They struggled with what will people think. I think that maybe some very heated discussions followed and maybe even some doubt filtered in from time to time. Yet look at the Awesome Result of 2 families being obedient to God!! The Savior!..born to die for me...and for you.

Let's especially remember that this Christmas season.

To tie this in with being a kid at heart......Children are open books. They will tell you what's on their mind, what they think, at a moment's notice. They will readily and quickly tell you about Jesus. As we go about our day and meet people on the street...as we look at the Christmas decorations and stand wide-eyed at the light displays, let's also be an open book, sharing with people about Jesus and what He truly means to us..and to them.

Blessings......