Christmas Clash

I try not to get too involved when people in the South talk about religion, especially their own... or mine... especially in public! When asked to pray in public, I politely decline as I think a person's beliefs is a private affair and unless an entire group is of the same faith its wrong to make praying a public happening. Its just my take on it.

But I always find it interesting when these devout people speak out of both sides of their mouths. Like today for instance.

A man in our community is one of the most publickly religious people I know. He won't eat with out praying, raises hand at any public function to say a prayer or rejoice that 'we are children of God', and always speaks of Jesus as if he is his neighbor, or an college pal whom he continues to communicate with every day.

Today he shared a touching story with us about Christmas. It was extremely sweet and very heart wrenching. However, it struck me as odd that this man who talks hourly with God, referred to a child 'not having Christmas' as the child would not receive any monetary gifts.

Isn't the whole belief behind Christmas being there was a baby given to the world, and that was the gift anyone would ever need if they were a follower of Christianity? It wasn't something bought in a store, shipped from Amazon, or coming down your chimney. It was the gift of ever lasting love and life, which is supposedly better than all the contents of Phipps Plaza.

Maybe he was attempting to tell it from a child's perspective and thats the difference... I don't really know. But I do know, I had to pause for several minutes out of shock from what was quite a clash of opposites, and found myself really hoping he did not mean what he had just said.

Sometimes its hard to know when someone 'really didn't mean what they said', after all, they said it. And sometimes its hard to know what they truly meant after such confusing statements, and you can find yourself questioning what it is they really stand for. At the end of the day, its my belief, that MOST people have good intentions. So whether the subject is religious or political or somewhere else on the map, ultimately good people are trying to share well-intended thoughts or stories. And if for some reason it comes off sounding a little confusing from what you expected from them, then maybe its time to give them the gift of cutting one some slack. We are only human after all.