Issue #7

On-Your-Feet Fiction

The Lord upholds all who fall, and lifts up all who are bowed down (Psalm 145:14).

Merry Christmas!

Where is your treasure this Christmas?

In A Christmas Carol, sailors celebrate Christmas on high seas. They’re far from home, in danger, and without life’s comforts. Yet they’ve lit a candle. Without the shiny trappings of the holiday, holiness is all we see.

Ideally, Christmas is a beautiful, love-filled family time. The rich scents of roast beef or turkey remind us that we’re about to enjoy a fabulous feast. Pretty cookies entice us from the couch, to the kitchen, and back.

Children are central to the gathering, unaware that they're spreading hope and love. Laughter and shared stories about the previous year bond us with family members in new ways. The house looks great, too, with lights, cute accessories, and a tree decked out in Christmas bling. Cheery music plays. Maybe there’s even a new puppy.

But let’s be honest: If you've experienced even one Christmas like this, you’re kind of rare. We live in a broken world. Trials and losses don’t take a break for the holidays. For many, grief and pain permeate Christmas, and the season highlights what was, but will never return.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:19-21).

We can store up our treasure in hopes of a happy life and an untroubled family. But when things go wrong, joy evaporates.

Or, we can store up our treasure in Heaven. We can “set [our] hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1).

When we focus on Jesus, we experience peace despite unmet expectations.