One

Pilgrim's

Musings


the writings of Sue Berger

Christmas in July

I love summertime. I love warmth, the feel of the sun on my skin, being outside all day in a tank top, shorts & flip flops, working in my yard & flowerbeds. Granted July in Texas can be a tad wilting, but I’ll take it any day over the cold, endlessly dreary days of winter.

So perhaps you can understand my consternation when I wandered into my favorite hobby and craft store (which is newly remodeled and expanded) to find the four aisles of lawn & garden décor compressed into one aisle with a huge 60% OFF sign hanging over it. Now normally I’d be pretty excited about this, but with an ache in my gut I knew it spelled the end of summer. And to add insult to injury, I had to walk past fifteen (count them, fifteen!) aisles of Christmas stuff to locate my favorite, now almost nonexistent, section of the store. Trees, wreaths, garland, artificial snow, light strings, Santas, ornaments, reindeer – everything imaginable! Mind you, it was 103 degrees outside but I almost had a meltdown inside the store. Come on! It’s July! The kids aren’t even close to going back to school yet and we’re decked out for Christmas? Give me a break!

Grudgingly I picked through the garden décor one last time not wanting to concede defeat to winter while still at the height of summer. The few small purchases I made at that great discount didn’t feel very satisfying and I was still grousing as I walked across the scorching parking lot to my baking-oven-hot car.

Halfway home with cold a/c air aimed right at my chest, it hit me. Emmanuel. God with us. He’s still here. He’s here all the time. I suspect that my hobby store is going to have permanent year-round Christmas aisles now, and perhaps that’s fitting. It’ll serve as constant reminder that Christ Incarnate is still just that – fully human at the Father’s right hand. He’s part of the Godhead, yet still part of humanity…and part of me.

That’s Good News worth celebrating…even in July!

– Sue Berger

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© 2009 One Pilgrim's Musings

About Sue

From a "normal" childhood with a working dad & stay-at-home mom, to a Bible-college and borderline-cult church; now in the midst of an almost-40-year marriage to my college sweetheart and currently a massage therapist, life is interesting! Through it all, God has been patient, faithful & gracious. I'm pleased to share my life's observations with you. Enjoy!