Christmas Tree in the Clouds

Christmas Tree in the Clouds

12/18/12

There are certain examples about God that we cannot understand and then there are those that God allows us to equate with Him.  Many people try to limit these sayings, phrases, stories and other symbols that remind us of God.  This is a constant battle that has occurred for many centuries just not now.  It is our duty as a human race to cling to these symbols as tightly as we can for our eternal gratitude of life itself will be washed away if we decide to give them up in any way.

This fall in Colorado has been a very unusual year with warm temperatures and no real measurable moister to speak about.  The days were shorter of course but for many of these days there were hardly any clouds in the sky which provided us with warm temperatures, so warm that some people were still cutting their lawns on a routine basis in mid November.  Usually in the fall we see a few storms that produce moisture and bring in colder temperatures as well.  It is these storms that serve as a foundation for our winter blanket of snow which will in turn serve as the water source for our crops in the spring and summer.

With this year being unusually dry and warm even the skeptics of cold weather have been wishing for storms to come in the area.  For the first time in a while a minor storm was approaching the area which gave us an opportunity to receive some badly needed moisture.  One of the people in the area said that one of our main reservoirs was about 45 feet low, which does not seem like much but one must consider that the reservoir that I am talking about is approximately 40 miles or more in length when you add in all of the branches and coves that is a part of its capacity.  So any precipitation that can begin our recovery would be surely welcome.  What we fail to recognize is that it is our lack of giving that is actually responsible for our dryness and our lack of the necessities of life, I am not talking about water now but the necessities of life itself, and our eternal life is what is at stake.

The other day I was walking around my work complex and I was looking at the clouds and as I was scanning the sky I saw a cloud that was lower than the other clouds and it was in the shape of a Christmas tree.  Now, I have always been one that had trouble with making out shapes of clouds unlike others that I have known.  They can look at a cloud and picture at least three different shapes that a single cloud can form, or so it would seem to form, but me I cannot do this.  So this was a shock to me when I looked up and immediately saw this cloud shape.  And of course it was not me that noticed the shape it was God who showed it to me because as soon as I got over the idea that I could see the Christmas tree shape God began to show me what He was saying.  Yes He had a message for you, that was a cloud in the shape of a Christmas tree.

First of all God wants us to know that He understands the meaning of the Christmas tree and that He knows that the Christmas tree is really not a true symbol of Him alone but it is a symbol that we as humans put up to remind us and others that our hearts are filled with cheer, thanksgiving and giving no matter what our circumstances have been for that year.  And it is through the gifts that we have received from Him that actually fill our hearts with gladness for everyone to share.

God also wants us to know that He sees and understands all of the troubles that we have faced over the past year.  He also sees and understands the tense times that we are facing right at this moment and He also sees and understands the future and all of the things that humanity will face then.  But most importantly God wants us to know that He loves us and that the only way that we can understand life and everything that it has to offer is if we continue to have the gift of giving residing within our hearts.  The gift of giving actually is a part of God and it this part of Him that is responsible for the spirit of the Christmas tree.  So, even though the Christmas tree is not a direct symbol of God in the physical sense, it does represent God in the spiritual sense when it comes to the act of giving.

The greatest gift that was ever given to humanity was the gift of Jesus Christ and everything that He represented to the concept of giving.  No God did not have to provide this way of life nor did He have to allow His Son to die a horrible death so that we might have an opportunity to be in contact with God the Father once again.  But because he loved us so much He gave His Son for us and it is through the gift of giving that we can receive true life as we have never known it before, even in bad or tough times.  It is for this reason that God desires for us to keep the concept of giving close to our hearts and for us never to lose the desire to give for when we have lost this gift then we have lost a direct connection to God.  The concept of giving should be a continual act within our lives and not just for one season, it is a privilege for a person to give something to another and it is not an obligation for an obligation is not an act of love but of selfishness.

The act of giving also recognizes that the person who loves to give has established a relationship with life itself and through this example there is no better way to express one’s caring for humanity.  The Christmas tree in a child’s eyes represents every hope that he or she will receive the one true gift that they desire, which is exactly what God the Father did for us many years ago, not only on the cross but also when He gave us life itself.  Everything that we know about life is a loving gift yet we sometimes forget this concept.

We forget this concept about giving because we have allowed ourselves to fall into the trap of receiving.  There is nothing wrong with receiving a gift or even multiple gifts from others but it is when the desire to receive these things becomes greater than the desire to give gifts to others that our lives take a tragic turn.  For when this event occurs in this order, our concept of living becomes selfish and it is in this state where our hearts become cold and distant from humanity.  If you look at our society today, this concept is exactly what is being filtered into our minds and the ideology of take, take and take is becoming our rule of law.  When people operate in a selfish manner no relationship no matter what the size or category cannot survive it will die a slow and steady death.  Why is this?  Because when self comes before others you are actually stealing from humanity and since you are part of humanity you are stealing from yourself first and then turning around and stealing from others, which provides you with a net of zero or nothing which is a very grim outlook on life.

God understands that dry times are coming and for some it has arrived now.  These dry times will test us and it will test our courage and strength to continue to have the willingness to give to others.  It is very important that during these times that we do not give up the desire to give and to actually water the Christmas tree spirit within others.  Not only do we need to continue this concept of giving but we need to continue to keep God in our lives as well.  We cannot rely on others to show us these ways, it is our responsibility and a necessity for our survival to follow this guideline.  For if we do not then our hopes and dreams of life itself will be dashed from our hearts and we will sink into a selfish society in which it will demand everything from us and then we will be in need for everything.

So please remember God wants us to live in happiness and with cheerful hearts and the only way that we can do this is if we continue to have the Christmas tree image within our hearts.  Ignore the worldly calls for abolishing the Christmas tree spirit and embrace its love of giving to everyone that you meet.  It will do wonders for you and your family when you defy the world’s listings of selfishness.  Everyone desires to have pure relationships and there is none better than having a relationship with others through the spirit of the Christmas tree.  The tree farmer grows trees so that one day a child can sit beside it and look at the gifts that he / she is about to receive and with a thankful heart open those gifts and proudly display them to everyone around the room.  As parents we glow in the expressions on our children’s faces when we see them open gifts so why should be deprive others from this same experience.  Give and give freely with a glad heart and many rewards will be given to you in return.

God is the ultimate symbol of the gift giver and we are modeled in His image so it is natural for us to have the same quality of giving within our lives.  I pray that we do not lose the meaning of the Christmas tree within our daily lives.  It is a statement of relationship when do and a sign of death when we do not.  If you have lost your Christmas tree, then there is time for you to restore it back into your life and when you do you will experience the gift of life forever more.  So when your eyes see clouds or when your eyes see clear blue skies remember the Christmas tree in the clouds and the gift that you have when you see it.

DLB