Pulling Me Up Mountains

I know that it is cliché to say that I don't like the commercialized Christmas that happens all around us this time of year, but I really do not like it! I feel like we as people living on this earth together need to focus on being kind, generous and loving year round and remember how important those things are during our everyday lives. Instead though, we remember those things seemingly only during the holiday season.
As a Christian, this time of year for me is to remember the amazing gift that God gave us, his son, Jesus Christ. He and his life are what have been on my mind the last few months, especially, and I wanted to reflect on that in this post.
This past Sunday we discussed Christ's Grace. His grace is what has saved me in the past and continues to save me daily in my life. It is the power to not only believe in Christ, but to experience his power in your life.
Imagine you are walking on a road, as you come around a bend there is a mountain in your way that you have to go over. As you start to climb this mountain, you get tired, your legs start to hurt but you are confident in your ability to get over this mountain on your own. Continuing to climb you realize that you need help. A friend is ahead reaching his hand down to help you. You grab his hand and he pulls you further up. Before you know it, you are that the top of the mountain. As you reach the summit, look over the valleys below, and see how far you come, how do you feel? Do you feel humble, yet confident in your success at reaching the top?
That is what I feel like grace is. As we travel our paths through life, we experience challenges, some harder than others. There are days when we think we have everything handled on our own, then there are days when we seriously doubt our abilities to handle what is placed in our path. When we realize that we need help, Christ is that friend that reaches down to pull us up our mountains. His grace is the power that pulls us up. He is the one that makes it possible to go farther than we have ever gone before. He is the one that helps us stay humble but also learn and feel confident in ourselves, who we are and what we can accomplish and live through.
I was driving to work this morning, it was an overcast, dreary looking day. I was listening to an upbeat song, but was feeling a little down and wishing I could see the light of the sun and feel it's warmth. Just as I wished that, there was a break in the clouds and the sun was shining through. I could see it's light and I could feel it's warmth. As that happened, my mood changed, I felt more alive and ready to face the day. That was grace.
On the days when I feel down and don't want to get out of bed, he is there. When I have to make difficult decisions for my life, he is there. On the good days, he is there. He is always there nudging me in the right direction, parting the clouds of dreary days, and pulling me up huge mountains of trials. He is the only reason I can look over the valleys in my life and enjoy the view.
Some believe in God as a concept, and a Savior that has come and gone. I believe in a Father who loves us, and a Savior that is more present in our lives than we can imagine. He is our friend. He is our example, he is our strength. He lives and loves us!
My best friend is taking a world religions class right now and has been asking me different questions about my beliefs and my views as a Christian. As I have thought about and tried to answer her questions, I have been able to introspectively take an inventory of what I really think and believe. There are times in my life where I will say, "I probably shouldn't do that because Jesus wouldn't," or "Jesus is the greatest friend and always has my back." If you hear me say those things, in the moment, they may seem silly, however, I am just being straight up. He is real to me. He is my friend. He is my example.
Throughout the years, I have learned a lot about who Jesus Christ is as a person, as well as what he has experienced. When you look back on his life, he experienced so much for us, so much pain, suffering, disappointment and sorrow. With all that he has experienced, he has earned the right to say to anyone, "I know exactly how you feel." Because he knows how we feel, because he has experienced all that he has in his life, he will never bail on us! He is always there as an example, as a friend and a real person with real power to change lives and hearts. He gets me! He gets what I am going through!
Although I hate commercialized Christmas, I am so grateful to be able to celebrate the life of my friend and older brother Jesus Christ! So, even if it is once a year, continue to reflect on the gift that he is to this world, continue to look to him as example of how to live our lives. Celebrate him and the way he lives his life. Resolve to be better, more kind, generous, loving and forgiving.