I actually really love the significance of most holidays but have found myself getting more and more cynical about them because I feel like I spend most of my holidays alone. When I was little my family celebrated the big holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving and birthdays. But my family aren't believers and so they don't celebrate for reasons I do and, little by little, what celebrating we did do faded away.
Christmas at home is now spent going to neighborhood parties.
Thanksgiving is just another meal.
Haven't had a Valentine for almost 10 years. Yikes!
Birthdays are a big deal if I even get a phone call from family.
Easter isn't celebrated at all.
To be completely honest, I haven't gone home for a holiday in over a year because it tends to be a little more depressing for me than celebratory.
So, like always, I started getting a little cynical as Easter approached this year. All my friends started telling me of their plans to go home and do traditional things with their families, go to church together, get cute easter dresses for their babies, etc. etc.
Two friends, however, gave me a really good wake up call on my perspective. My friend Bryan did actually go home but said that she would have rather stayed here in Raleigh where she could go to the church that she loved and be with the friends she knew loved her. Then I ran into my friend Ben this afternoon. When I asked him why he wasn't at home with his own family (only an hours drive from Raleigh) he explained that Providence was the church he considered his own and that's where he wanted to be for Easter.
If I'd gone home for Easter, I probably wouldn't have made it to church, and even if I did it wouldn't have been a church I called home. I also wouldn't have been able to spend the afternoon with all of my friends and celebrate a meal together like I did.
So, I'm trying to have a better attitude and be thankful that I got to spend Easter at an AMAZING church I that consider home celebrating my risen LORD and spend a good portion of the day with friends.
So Ben and Bryan...Thanks for the perspective!
1 comment:
Hey there now -
You were with me (and friends) for Thanksgiving - that was less than a year ago! And you always know you are welcome to spend holidays with me - as two of the only few believers in the family, we should probably stick together. Anyway, you mentioned your birthday, which is just two days away, and I am trying to find your new address (think it's in my palm pilot) so I can send your card. I haven't forgotten your special day in...ever? Hope you're doing well. I love you!
Alex
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