Many years ago, I received a “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” pin for Christmas. For my first few Christmases as a new Christian, I wore it to work as a “Hey, look at me, I’m a Christian. Please ask me about my pin and I’ll tell you why you, too, should be a Christian” pin. Or, more accurately, my attitude reflected, “I’ll tell you what’s wrong with you if you’re NOT a Christian.”
Then I went through several Christmases of wearing it sometimes, but not quite as proudly. For one, what if people asked questions I couldn’t answer? I’d look pretty foolish wearing my Jesus pin and not knowing everything about being a Christian. For another, my actions were often a poor reflection of how I perceived a “good Christian” should be, so I didn’t want people to think that I thought I was something special.
After that, my Jesus pin sat in the drawer for a few years because I felt uncomfortable displaying my faith so openly. I didn’t want to offend or upset anyone who didn’t believe in Jesus. I talked about Jesus, but didn’t want to draw attention to myself. And I still didn’t have all the answers.
I now realize that knowing Him is all the reason I need to wear my pin. He has miraculously healed and transformed me from the inside out – He is amazing! As each Christmas season approaches, starting at about Thanksgiving, I praise God for all the blessings in my life. I thank Him for my family, my friends, my job, my gifts, my life…everything I have, and everything I am.
Most of all, I thank Him for Jesus, the most perfect gift of all time.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights” (James 1:17a, NIV)
And I put on my Jesus pin.
Bio: Mary Graziano Scro is an inspirational and entertaining author and speaker who intuitively weaves analogies and personal testimony with practical biblical teaching. Mary lives with her husband, Don, in Raleigh, NC. Their current mission field is the workplace, and they are blessed to have jobs they enjoy (in addition to Mary’s writing, which she does whenever she can!). Mary’s first book, Intentional Fitness: Working Out Your Salvation so Others Can See Jesus, is available on Amazon. A graduate of Christian Communicators Conference, Mary’s mission is to encourage others about the awesome life God has planned for them, if only they are willing to choose wisely in their everyday lives. And that the more they invest in their own unique relationship with Jesus, the more visible He is to a world that desperately needs Him. You can contact Mary at mary@linafm.com, or visit her website at www.LifeisNotaFormula.com.
(Jesus image courtesy of edouardo/Morguefile.com)
Thanks for letting me share your story, Mary. Great reminder for all of us!