Christmas is JOY! The lights, the familiar songs, the decorations everywhere, the excitement of kids, gatherings of friends and family … it can all add up to a great close to the year -- except that it doesn’t for some. There are some choices to be made that will shape the holiday; that will certainly influence the way that you feel on 12/26!
How do we lay a foundation for joy?
First of all, deal with your expectations of Christmas!
It's just a day. No, I'm not Ebenezer Scrooge. I am as excited as I can be about seeing friends and family, heading to the beautiful Christmas Eve service, swapping old stories, and doing the “holiday stuff” however I must remember that when the party's over, life will resume. Christmas will not magically turn all the wrong into right, fix everything that is broken or disappointing.
If we put unrealistic expectations on Christmas day, the 26th will dawn with disappointment. Better to simply enjoy life as it unfolds and thank God for the serendipitous moments that find you. If you overload the day with lofty expectations, even one disappointment can obscure a hundred blessings.
Second, keep the focus where it belongs.
This is Jesus' birthday party. If we get trapped by a misplaced emphasis on the external stuff of Christmas and, in the process of getting our various 'to-do' lists checked off, we will live right through the holiday and miss the meaning.
It's a 'Holy day' primarily. Yep, Americans made it into a festival of consumption... too much food, too much fun, too much spending. The fat guy in a red suit, as fun as he can be, has sadly hidden the real message about the Babe in the manger for millions of people. Don't get me wrong! I like Santa Claus. The jolly old man is a myth that captivates me even now.
Who doesn't
yearn for somebody to magically bring happiness, if even for a day, to all the
kids of the world? But, even more, there is Wonder in the story of God giving
the Gift of Himself to a broken world, changing sinners to saints, bringing
alienated sons and daughters of God back home!
Third, be wise - financially, emotionally, spiritually.
Holidays always create stress.
Old family issues can bubble up to the surface as we rub shoulders with people
that we do not see the rest of the year.
Obligations at home, work, and church pile up in over-crowded schedules
creating exhaustion.
Most of us will feel some need to try to settle old debts or to balance the scales,
especially the emotional ones.
There is a
heart that beats in each of us that longs for love, and we'll try almost
anything to feel the magic. Parties can set us up for mistakes. So, we will
need insight, gentleness, and courage to navigate our way through these
challenges successfully. If we don't, we may well wake up on the 26th missing
the joy, with an aching head and a maxxed out credit card.
Finally, keep LOVE in focus.
Put people first. That is, after all, the meaning of Christmas! "For
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes
in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the
world to condemn it, but to save it." (John 3:16-17, NLT)
The Spirit of God is here, near, right now. Pray to be in a place where He can
touch your life with Light. Set times of prayer and contemplation at regular
intervals, moments when your soul can breathe in the Breath of God.
... And you will surely know more joy on the 26th!
Merry Christmas and thank you for letting me share thoughts with you throughout
this year.
__________________
Video of this blog
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