About 7 years ago I stopped alongside of the road and bought a short needle Christmas tree from a little girl who was selling them. I took it home and was so proud of my deal, and of course happy to help the little girl sell her trees. Now she could buy a Christmas present for her mom and dad. The next morning every needle on the tree was on the ground! Every single needle! It was frozen and my warm wood stove thawed it out, releasing the needles. I bought another one, and resolved to never deal with a real tree again.
After Christmas we got another deal…a fake Christmas tree. The needles didn’t fall off, but every year more lights failed to light! So this year I bought 8 strings of lights with 800 bulbs and re-strung the tree! I used 200 plastic electrical ties to hold them on. Get the picture?
While I was doing this I remembered the time I created quite a stir on a Sunday morning when I said it’s ok to “fake it till you make it.” It’s was not a doctrinal statement, just a comment on how I have experienced life over the years. Sometimes we just have to persevere when things don’t turn out as we planned. It’s part of life, and often what we do until we learn how to do life right.
Right now my fake tree really looks amazing!
Two thousand years ago Jesus came into this world of darkness as the great light that enabled us to see all of our faults without being condemned. I have a lot of them, but His love for me helps me see beyond my failures, giving me hope for the future.
I sometimes marvel at how much my life has been like my Christmas trees. The needles fall off, the lights don’t work, but to Him I look really good.
Enjoy your Christmas season with some of the most imperfect people you know. Remember they are like you and me…the needles fall off and the lights don’t always work, but to Jesus they look pretty good!
Love to all,
Pastor Pat
