Okay, so I apologize for my last two posts that were really reposts of other notes, but I felt a need to add them to this site. The past two days have been busy and… well basically this post is about Sunday the 27th, even though it is currently the 29th.
So Sunday, I went to church at the church I’ve always gone to when home with my parents and admittedly it’s not my favorite. I have always had trouble truly connecting with God wile in church there… until Sunday. I was finally able to feel that connection with God during service. I could feel God moving me and giving me a servant’s heart when the pastor asked if I could help with readings and communion. Even though I would have liked to pray and focus more on repentance, God still knew my heart was for Him and was able to give me peace of mind throughout the day.
After service, some of my family and I had a mini family gathering to celebrate Christmas. As we were opening gifts I realized just how lucky I am to have such a close family that both sides of the family know each other and enjoy spending the holiday together. Unfortunately our family gathering was not focused on the birth of Christ, but rather on gifts.
Christmas has become more about gift exchange, family gatherings, and holiday parties than about the birth of Christ. God’s gift to the world was sending Christ to eliminate our sins; hence the tradition of giving gifts, but when the gifts become the main focus, Christ loses his place in people’s hearts. The world is more concerned about material possessions than praising Christ on a day that should be devoted solely to him.
“For God so loved the world that he GAVE his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
God blessed me with an unexpected gift later that night. I got in touch with an old friend and neighbor from down the street. She is also living her life for God. It is amazing how he can provide that touch of fellowship where I need it and when I need it. I was afraid that in going home for winter break and in losing much of the fellowship I gained while at school, that I would slip away from God and back into old habits. It is still early in the break, but I am doing fairly well and God provides fellowship when I need it. Between this new connection to an old friend, new friends keeping in touch, and getting closer to God through studying His word, I have been staying close to God and though I stray every now and then He always reaches me somehow. Feeling that connection and internal peace during church service on Sunday was a big indicator of just how much God has stuck to me in these harder times.
God is my provider of everything and without Him in my life I would be seriously lost. Do you truly know God’s love? Do you know how blessed you can be if you accept God and Jesus into your everyday life?
I Pray that God blesses all of you and that he provides you with peace as we transition into the new year.
Peace ~ Pyung Ahn
Awesome post. God is truely wonderful in that whenever we decide to take a little detour on our walk he's there at the end to show us how to get back home. It is unfortunate that this culture has put such a focus on giving gifts rather than celebrating Jesus's birth and sacrifice for our sins. But I think as young Christians we just have to show the world through our soon to be (not that soon haha) family how we incorporate Jesus into our traditions on Christmas. We need to learn to give from our hearts, not our wallets. Love you!
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