I have always been taught to seek my own beliefs. I observed the adults in my life during family dinners, Sunday morning's at church, election seasons, and day to day opinionated rants. I listened to their thoughts and opinions and was encouraged to form my own based off of how I felt about the topic at hand. I was never told I was a conservative, I was told my father was. I was never told I was a liberal, I was told my sister was. No one ever told me what I had to be, they gave their perspective and allowed me to take it from there. I am now a young adult responsible for not only forming my own opinion but living my life based upon them. That being said, I have yet to discover where I stand on religion and faith. I was raised in a Christian household, but an Episcopalian, Christian household. I was encouraged to question and evaluate. Something I firmly believe all young adults should be encouraged to do.
That being said, I honestly don't give the topic much thought in my everyday life. Between school, family, friends, and the generic stress that comes with growing up I honestly don't have time to think about Jesus every day. While that may make me a poor Christian, it makes me a typical American teenager. I think all young people reach a point where they question what they really believe if they don't then they're most likely blindly following the beliefs of their parents. All young people should take the time to decide for themselves what they truly find faith in.
However, that makes this season particularly critical to those of us finding our faith in the world. Due to its commercialism, the Christmas bandwagon is easy enough to hop on. But if you're one of the ones who strive to appreciate Christmas for the celebration of love, life, and family that it is, you struggle with what Christmas means to you during the times you struggle with your faith. Christmas celebrates the birth of the believed savior of the human race. That's not something to be taken lightly. I have found that when I find myself questioning my religion, I view Christmas as a universal celebration of the beauty in humanity.
Humans have tremendous capability for hate and destruction. Our ability to destroy and degrade the things that we don't understand or accept as our equal is remarkable. The fear and hate we allow to run our daily lives in both minuscule and global ways is overwhelming and sometimes inescapable. But it is always this time of year that I find love and acceptance poking tiny air holes in the bouncy house of fear and hate. That is where I find the meaning of Christmas.
I don't know what I believe about Jesus yet. But I do know that Christians celebrate the birth of a savior who stood against hate and fear. That is what we celebrate. We ignore the war between those who can't understand one another. We put aside the grounds on which we disagree for a day to celebrate the life and love one person taught us all to find in our lives.
Not everyone celebrates Christmas, and that is 100% ok. I am in no way an expert on the sacred days of other religions. But I know every religion has a day of scared peace. And that is what Christmas means to me. That is what all sacred days mean. Peace. The coming together of all people. All people. Peace for all people. Whether you're a Christian or an atheist, Christmas means peace for all.
