Tis’ the season to head off into the woods or stores to select the perfect Christmas tree to illuminate your living room and life with the joys of Christmas. As I scrolled though social media, I gazed upon the beauty of several MVC communities’ Christmas trees; however, there was a slight dilemma. Each community claimed to have the perfect Christmas tree, but this cannot be true. Saint Michael’s girls have the perfect Christmas tree. At a whopping four feet tall and placed in a watering can (because who needs a tree stand?) we call it ours. We call it perfect.

What is perfect? The very beauty of the word perfect is that there is no infinite definition. Perfect is subjective. Our little tree was a perfect find in the desert and for the task of carrying it up three flights of stairs to our apartment. Now, our tree may not be perfect for the NYC community or the Sacramento community, but the tree they have selected is perfect for them. Why? It is perfect because it is exactly what they need.

Like Christmas trees in a Christmas tree farm, God has made us perfectly in His image. Although the sizes, fullness, hues, and shapes all differ, they are each perfect in their own unique way. Each tree is placed in a different location waiting to be cut down and serve a grand purpose in someone’s home. We, like a Christmas tree, serve a grand purpose to bring hope, joy, and service to someone’s home community. We are the “trees” placed in Savannah, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, NYC, Detroit, St. Michaels, Sacramento, San Francisco and Guyana to serve a specific purpose that is perfect – each definition of perfect varying. The thing is that just like a determined family in hunt of the ultimate Evergreen, God actively pursues us in the same way.

It is by no accident that we have each been hand-selected by God to serve in our particular service sites. What we need not forget is to be the Christmas trees to our sites all year long. So as you stand around your beautifully decorated tree this year remember these three things:

1. Just like the lights on the Christmas tree illuminate the room; be a light in your MVC community and service sites.
2. You are your own kind of perfect for your location; you were picked like a Christmas tree to serve a grand purpose.
3. Just as the Christmas tree brings joy to hearts and homes, you bring the same joy to those you serve. Keep the joy alive!

Merry Christmas!
Yá át ééh Késhmish!

Rebecca Lane: St. Michaels Navajo Reservation, AZ