Folks keep askin' all over the place, "What's this Christmas thing all about?" And of course we all saw in the news that crazy LifeWay poll that contained the statement "Christmas is a time to...Jesus/God." Huh? No wonder that item didn't get picked by those taking the survey. The statement doesn't even make sense. Still, 37% of the people polled responded with that selection. That's pretty encouraging if you ask me. If I had to answer THAT particular question, "Christmas is a time to...", insinuating some action and not really asking for a meaning or definition, I would say that Christmas is a time to remember and celebrate the fact that God humbled Himself and became a man, ultimately for our salvation, but supremely that He might be glorified as is only the right and good end of every action taken by God. Yup, everything He does is so that He can receive more glory. Now, that certainly sounds selfish to us humans, and I would argue that it...is some tricky ground on which to travel. 'Cause it's true. God tells us how He's a jealous God and that all our worship needs to go to Him and Him alone. Do you know any selfish people? Okay, be honest. We are ALL selfish. But think of the scenario where a very selfish person, for no logical reason, just does some selfless act. He's fine on his own. He doesn't need to impress anyone. He's got everything he needs, but he still chooses to give. Ahh, but he does still benefit from the giving, doesn't he? Because he gets that nifty little feeling of goodness. I have concluded that that little feeling right there is the thing that prevents all of us from being able to do anything that is not selfish at the very core. It's how we're designed...in the very image of God. So then God, who is the ultimate selfish being (not in a bad way at all) decides to humble himself and perform a selfless act, even though He's got EVERYTHING and truly has no one to impress since no one comes close to His power... That's just simply amazing. So. That is Christmas to me. A time to recognize selfishness. Not to embrace it, but to thank God that we have a tiny inkling of what He feels when He gives to us. I'm sure that sounds...eh, I'm not really sure of much, actually. But I like to stop and think this time of year if I've had any chances to be humbled or to humble myself this year. And, honestly, it hasn't been much of a year for humility. That doth frighteneth me muchly, but we'll see where it goes. Taking on more responsibility at work has caused me to step up, and I wouldn't say that I've been humble about it. I have spent more time alone this last year than I prolly have in any other year of my life, and the self-reliance and self-confidence is anything but humbling. I've spent more money on myself than in any other year, that's for sure. I haven't made any progress at all in my church membership issues, which could be humbling if we pretended real hard, but mostly it's just me worrying about me. And in my relationships...well, it's safe to say that humility has never been a strong trait of mine. So IN CONCLUSION. Merry Christmas! Remember that only God can be selfish and good at the same time. It's the human condition. You still think you're good? Take the test ;)