Keeping Christ in Christmas

Too many of us lately have been worried about the wrong thing during the Christmas season. No, I do get it…..there is so much to do like decorating, getting the right gifts, dealing with traffic and bad tempers, in addition to getting those presents sent off on time (with the least amount of cost). Now it’s also about having enough extra money to even have much of a Christmas!

What I’m referring to is that we are so busy getting everything perfect, we forget what the season is truly about. If you know the story of Jesus then you should know that His birth was not a perfect storybook setting. Christmas is not about all the things that we tend to worry about; instead, it’s a beautiful story of redemption for us. Jesus’ birth is God’s gift to us so that we could be with Him at the end of our life if we only take the time to understand who Jesus is (the Son of God) and accept why Jesus was sent in the first place. Remember that according to John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

So, in all that time of rushing, worrying, planning and shopping, take a moment to thank a God who loved us and continues to love us that much in the first place. Of course, it also means that everything will not be perfect, and knowing in your heart that that’s still perfectly okay!

So what did I learn from this? When I tend to get overwhelmed, I try to step back and take a deep breath. I pray, talk to friends and read my bible to help myself get into focus. I try to do that in every season not just Christmas because let’s face it, life can get complicated pretty quickly. I also need to remember that I have my family and friends who love and appreciate me and sometimes that needs to be gift enough for the season when everything else gets overwhelming.

What can you gain from this? I get it. I know life is hard. Especially when things keep popping up that you weren’t expecting. Try to remember the reason for the season in the first place. This season is about Jesus and His reason for being sent here in the first place was because of His love for all of us. Remember that we have a God who loves us with all of our many, many failings. We’re so lucky that He loves us despite that! So, my thought…..give yourself a break. Find the fun in it and take a good laugh at yourself instead. Laughter is, after all, the best medicine for what ails you.