So this is Christmas...

I have had the incredible blessing of spending Christmas this year in Laie, Hawaii, a quiet little town on the north shore of Oahu. There is so much I can and will share about my experience here but for today, let me say this:

There is such a special spirit here, a feeling you get from the people, the town, and the area. Life is simple - many homes are very modest and even run down. The roads are narrow, and the stores are few. Life is focused around family, faith, and cultural traditions. The feeling that resonates through all these things is one of welcome, inclusion, love, hope, and peace. Polynesian people treat you like an instant friend - they expect the best from people, and trust them until given a reason not to. They talk to strangers! They are always smiling and laughing and sharing stories. People on the mainland seem to do the opposite: you must prove yourself and earn trust before you can enter their 'world.'

I often talk of how much I love a green Christmas, having spent a few in Florida. But the warm temperatures are only the beginning of what makes Christmas so special here. It beats out the "magic" of Disney lights, shows, parades, and fireworks. It is a universal friendship and family that seems to cross over every cultural and societal barrier to bring the light of Christ to all.

Many call this feeling the Spirit of Aloha. Whatever it is, is is unique and beautiful, and it has made this Christmas season wonderful and distinct from any other. From handing out anonymous gifts of cash to needy families from Africa, Mongolia, the Philippines, India, and Vietnam, to feeding single students far away from their families a potluck Christmas lunch, it has been a special season indeed.

Photo by Mike Foley, PCC

Yet with all the lights wrapping the palm trees, and Christmas carol hulas, I can't help but think of that simple night over 2000 years ago when a young couple, full of faith, welcomed a very special child into the most poor and lowly of circumstances. His sacred, humble entrance into the world was just one of many ways the Savior taught us what really matters, and what true greatness is. And as that tiny babe grew to be a man, and took the literal weight of the world's pains, sorrows, weakness ad mistakes upon Him, he still maintained that quiet dignity and greatness in spite of circumstance.

May we all - at this wonderful time of year and everyday of our lives - remember the one who was willing to suffer all, so that we would not have to. May we live within the simple means and necessities we have, and be willing to share with those who don't. May we love without qualification, look for the best in others, and help them to along the way. May we do our best everyday to be a little better. And may we do it without seeking the praise and recognition of our fellow men, but instead in recognition and praise of the one man who made it all possible for us, by complete faith in His Father's plan for all his children.

Mele kalikimaka! Merry Christmas! God bless us, EVERY one!