Daily Devotionals
DECEMBER 9, 2021
This is the second week of Advent. Our devotions this week are on the theme of “My Christmas Memory.”
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:21
When I moved from the UK to the mission field in North Africa, there were many things that I had to learn to do in a new way and think about differently. I participated in a significant mission-training program that helped me begin to re-orient my Western way of thinking and embrace a different way of living in a non-Western, Muslim world. As I experienced life in North Africa, I began to see in new ways, understand in new ways, and appreciate the truth that “different” does not necessarily mean “wrong.” During my first year there, I taught English to middle school and high school students at Bir Kacem Assabil School. As I anticipated the end of the semester and the fact that both of my sons would be visiting me, I began to plan what we would do and where we would go when they arrived. Then a very hard reality hit me: December 25 is just another day on the calendar in the culture where I was living. It is not a holiday. There are no festive decorations or celebrations. There are no cheery songs or candlelit services. It is simply another day. And in my case, just another school day. One of my sons went to school with me on December 25, and the students loved having a college-age, American young man visit them. I enjoyed watching his instant celebrity status. That evening there was a brief service at the building where we gathered for church followed by a meal at the home of one of the church members. I had to adjust my thinking that this Christmas would not be celebrated as I had always celebrated it. Instead, I was able to embrace the truth that there is enormous joy in being with family and that the community of Christ, gathered to acknowledge and praise God for the nativity, is something special to cherish. I had to determine what parts of Christmas I wanted to treasure in my heart. After some adjustments in my way of thinking, God showed me that the true treasure, where I wanted my heart to dwell, could be found in the gifts He gave to me that Christmas.
For Reflection
Has there been a time when you have had to re-orient the way you thought about a cherished tradition?
What has God shown to you as the most significant treasures to keep in your heart for Christmas?
Prayer
I praise You, God, for the treasures You give. Help me to keep my heart open and focus on Your true treasures this Christmas. Amen.
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