Mark Schultz – The Christmas Shift

CCM: Growing up, what was your experience of Christmas?
MS: I have an older brother, younger sister, and we have a bunch of cousins, so, for me, it was going to my grandma and grandpa’s house and everybody piling into the beds downstairs in the basement. We’re all packed in there, but when you’re younger all those older cousins—they are like heroes still to this day for me. In my mind, they’re just giants.

CCM: Many of us have heard your adoption story. You think about Jesus being birthed into his family, but in a sense, they were his adopted family. Do you sense a closer identification with Jesus through being adopted?
MS: I had such a great experience being adopted, so it’s not a big jump for me to say, “Oh, we could be adopted by God.” That’s not true for everybody, but I’ve lived it.

Growing up with my mom and dad, I thought, I want you to be proud of me. I want to do something so you never say, “Did we make a wrong choice?” But they’ve never made me feel like, Hey, you have to do this or else… They say, “There’s nothing you can do to make us love you more. There’s nothing you can do to make us love you less.” That’s an echo of what God has said [to us].

photo: Kelly Jobe

CCM: Yes. Isn’t Jesus God’s response to our questions of worthiness and need to be approved by our actions?
MS: I’ve tried to overachieve my whole life. I was the quarterback on the football team, or I was singing and then it was a record deal and doing shows. In a way, I am saying, Am I good enough yet? I know there are folks that live like that in their faith. God, I’ve just got to do more. I’ve got to do more. It’s a great place to [hear God] say, “You don’t have to do any more. There’s no more or no less.”

CLICK “3” TO ADVANCE