No doubt, you are familiar with this Christmas poem by Clement Moore. I remember my mother reading it to me when I was quite small. I must admit, not every detail of the poem made sense to me. My mother did not sleep in a kerchief, my father did not sleep in a cap and I had no clue what sugarplums were. But it did paint a nice picture of Christmas morning, which for us children was all about the gifts. We would tip into the living room early on Christmas morning and find that it had been transformed into a wonderland of beautifully wrapped packages of all shapes and sizes. We could hardly wait to tear into them to find what was inside.Ah, those packages. Each one was a different size, shape or color. Some had ribbons, others had bows and each one had a name- tag that indicated who it belonged to. Some were very heavy and others were very light – it all depended on the treasure inside.  In no time at all the living room would be transformed from a colorful landscape of beautifully wrapped packages into a toy land – with lots of discarded boxes, wrapping paper and bows. You see, what really mattered to us was not the packages, but what was inside.

Unfortunately, as we’ve grown into adulthood, we’ve forgotten the lesson, “It’s what’s inside that counts”. Our society focuses more on external attributes than internal values. There is an obsession with hair and makeup and beauty products. Television runs countless commercials about weight loss, hair coloring, exercise equipment and diet products. Heaven forbid, that anyone would look overweight or old. Are you kidding me? Who gets to decide what weight is “overweight” or what age is “old”? It is all relative since we are on a lifelong journey. Each of us is older than we were yesterday. I weighed 6.5 pounds when I was born. Now, a few decades later I weigh considerably more. Am I overweight? It’s all relative!

The emphasis on our “external packaging” saddens me because of the damage that it does to people’s self esteem. There have been too many instances of people ruining their health with eating disorders in an attempt to attain an ideal weight or size. I’ve heard of women who died unexpectedly during an elective plastic surgery procedure. Is a little nip/tuck really worth dying for?

Of course we all want to look our best. But too often so much emphasis is placed on external beauty that internal values are overlooked. When was that last time that you saw a commercial promoting honesty or integrity or kindness? Many of the people we consider most beautiful are sorely lacking in character. We would do well to work as hard on the internal values.  We can fool each other by looking good on the outside, but that doesn’t make up for lack of character.

In the 23rd chapter of Matthew, Jesus had some strong words to say to the religious leaders of his day about this.

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. (Matthew 23:27). 

Much of the cruelty and discrimination in our world is based on “external packaging”.  How sad, since that packaging will not last. I’ve officiated at many funerals and no matter how good a job the mortician has done, the departed is only a shell of what he or she once was. I normally allow a section in the service for people to come up and share what the person meant to them. I have never heard anyone talk about how long & luxurious their hair was, how their biceps bulged or what a tiny waist they had. The memories tend to be about the relationship or a particular kindness or good deed.  It’s what’s inside that counts.

It is doubtful that Christmas packages can communicate with each other, but if they could, I don’t think they would spend time making fun of each other. They’d realize that each one is unique and holds a very special treasure.

We would do well to remember that each one of us is also unique and holds a very special treasure.  I think that the following poem by Don Rotha sums it up very well.

When you look at me, I’m not what you see,
It’s what’s inside that holds the key.
I may look old, but that’s not bad.
Inside of me, I’m just a lad.
Appearances can cause a start,
But everybody has a heart.
We live, we love, we laugh, we cry.
We store our memories and then we die.
So when you look upon this man,
Try to imagine, if you can,
The love that’s stored within my heart,
Will go with me, when I depart.

It’s what’s inside that counts!

What is tooth decay and when does it occur? It occurs when your teeth are frequently exposed to foods containing carbohydrates such as starches and sugars like soda pop, candy, cake and even sticky fruits. The primary options for treating tooth decay are filling, crown, root canal or extraction. The goal of treatment is to preserve tooth structures and prevent further destruction of the tooth.

If left untreated, tooth decay can have serious consequences. An extreme complication can be an abscess; a collection of infected material resulting from bacterial infection of the center or pulp of the tooth. This infection can spread into the bloodstream and have serious, even fatal consequences.

Decay has become widespread in our society, but it goes far beyond tooth decay. We are surrounded by social decay, cultural decay and moral decay. I am especially concerned with the lack of commitment to facts; truth decay. This poison has infected every area of our society.

We’ve all seen supermarket tabloids that feature stories about aliens landing, 6- headed animals or even stories about celebrities that are completely fabricated. Are these stories true? No, but they sell. Even some of our news programs, in the interest of getting ratings, play fast and loose with the truth. Websites like www.factcheck.org and www.snopes.com have become quite useful tools for determining the validity of stories. Some of the most respected figures in our society; politicians, celebrities, corporate officers and even ministers have been found guilty of misrepresenting the truth. Sadly, accountability and integrity are viewed as optional character traits.

You see, a commitment to truth comes with responsibility. As one sage wrote, “The truth is heavy, therefore few care to carry it.” It is easier to just go with the flow. However, if we choose to do that, we will pay a very heavy price.

Wise men and philosophers have pondered the importance of truth down through the ages. Here are some of their thoughts:

• “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”– John 8: 32
• “As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.” —Josh Billings
• “Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened”– Winston Churchill
• “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act”–George Orwell
•  “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes”—Mark Twain
•  “The folks who know the truth aren’t talking…. The ones who don’t have a clue, you can’t shut them up!” –Tom Waits
•  “Once your soul has been enlarged by a truth, it can never return to its original size.” –Blaise Pascal

 Each of us has a choice. We can allow the decay to continue or we can make a commitment to upholding truth. What will you do?

Part of my walking route follows the sidewalk that borders the back of the local high school. There is a chain link fence along the way and on the other side are the athletic fields. Depending on the time of year I may see a football practice, students jogging around the track, or a baseball game in progress. If there are no students present, the fields are overtaken by geese or sea gulls. There is always something to see on those fields. Even though I’ve taken that route dozens of times, recently I saw something I’d never noticed before. Normally I glance through the fence to see what’s happening on the other side. This time I actually looked at the fence and there, in one of the thousands of diamond-shaped links, was a beautiful work of art. A spider had woven a delicate web that glistened in the morning sun like so many tiny jewels strung on silk strands. It was so intricate that I had to stop to admire it. As I did I was struck by two thoughts.

First, although I’d passed that fence many times, I’d never noticed any spider webs. How often do we go through life looking at the big picture, but not seeing the tiny miracles right in front of us?

Second, that spider just did what she was created to do. It didn’t matter that there were thousands of links where the web could have been spun, or that there were millions of other spiders that could have done it. She just picked a spot and did what needed to be done in that time and place. Even though it was a small web, she took time to make every detail perfect.

Have you ever felt insignificant? Like your small contribution to the world doesn’t make much of a difference? As human beings we often struggle with defining our own identity and purpose. Just know that only you can be you. God has strategically placed you exactly where you are at this time and place to do what only you can do. It doesn’t matter that there are “other spiders on the fence”. Just weave your web…