Victory at Christmas

I love that word! Victory sounds so sweet, doesn't it? I mean who in their right mind likes to lose? Everyone likes to win - at least most of the time. But if you think about it, victory affects one person positively and another person negatively.
As long as there are winners, there have to be loser! I know that this sounds like one of those earth shattering concepts but it's the truth, no matter how simplistic the statement is. Take for example, a football or basketball game...when one team wins, the other team needs to lose. The same is true when two people vie for a certain positioin at work - one will get it and the other will not. One person is victorious, while the other person is considered a loser.
Tonight I'm sitting in my office awaiting a phone call from a church that wants to interview me for a Senior Pastor position. The reality of victory and defeat seems all too real for me right now. Should this church decide to extend a call to me, I would be faced with the daunting decision to make one church victorious in their quest to have a pastor, while leaving another church defeated by a loss of a pastor.
This idea of victory and defeat is all around us. It is in sports, at work, at home, in our finances even in our Christmas celebrations. Sometimes we like to "one-up" others in our family by getting better presents for our family members than someone else can get. At church we are trying something new for Christmas...
We are trying to see everything as a GIFT. A G.I.F.T. is given not earned. It is individualized and generally for family or friends. Finally, a gift is to be turned around.
I pray that your focus this Christmas is to turn the GIFT of Christmas around and joyfully share the Christmas reality with those you know this HOLY-day Season.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!