Ellington

It's the holiday season. It's the holiday season? It's the holiday season! I'm always amazed at the different reactions that come along with this time of year. Some react with general malaise, some with disbelief, and others can barely contain the excitement.

I'm one of those generally excited folks. The holiday my family and I celebrate is Christmas so we have all the trimmings and nuances that come with it—the tree, the lights, the presents, the fat jolly guy, the wreaths, the cookies, the TV specials, the stories and anything else you can think of Christmas related. If you've shopped anywhere since October, you understand just how hard it can be to get past all the commercialism of the season and how easy it can be to lose focus on what Christmas truly represents.

This season reminds me that I need to do more, be better and be a more loving person. But I need to back up just a little bit, say about 2,000 years. It was around this time Jesus was born. Nobody really knows if it was December, and more than likely, it wasn't. In my faith, this birth was a gift to humanity, providing a teacher and philosopher who would be a pristine example of how we can be better people.

But let's back up even further. The Bible's Old Testament tells stories about how God provided directly for people. He provided a boat for Noah, safe passage for Moses and even food from heaven to sustain his people. Jesus is God with us, teaching humanity a better way to live. He taught patience, love and eventually sacrifice.

After the death of Jesus Christ, we believers in the New Testament, are given the gift of the Holy Spirit. What this means is the burden now falls on us. God provided directly for us in Old Testament stories, Jesus walked with us in the New Testament, and God works through us and our actions in the here and now. Most people are familiar with this quote from John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." What many people leave out or just don't know is the next verse, John 3:17, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."

This seldom-quoted verse is what inspires me to do more and to be a better person, especially at this time of year. We pass judgment all the time, condemning people on how they dress, how much money they have or don't have, what their political views are and myriad things we have decided don't fit our views. What inspires me about my faith is that none of these things matter. What I have been taught is to show compassion and love to all of those around me. What better time to exemplify these principles than Christmas?

I had some great teachers and examples along my way. I remember when my father was in hospice care in our home in Pascagoula. It was around Thanksgiving some 10 years ago. He had a tradition of always giving turkeys to the local food bank, and that year he tasked my sister and me to be sure that this tradition was carried on. It didn't matter who was getting the food or their situation; what mattered is that people were in need, and he was blessed enough to still be in a position to help.

Last December my mother passed, and in her last moments she was singing hymns. She passed while smiling and holding my sister's hand. As I reflect back on the year since, I'm even more inspired by my faith and the strength it has given me to be better. Seeing people so close to me in such weak physical shape, and yet so strong in their spirituality has changed who I am.

This holiday season I encourage you to do more. Reach out and challenge yourself to go beyond your boundaries. Get outside your comfort zone and donate your time and energy to a good cause. Your community will be a better place for it.

Thomas Broadus is a deacon at Briar Hill Baptist Church currently working on a masters degree in mass communications and toward serving in ministry full-time.