AAAARGH! Christmas is over and I still have food left over and presents to exchange and thank you notes to write…STOP!
Now that we put Christmas day behind us, we need to start thinking of what is ahead. When we make our resolutions, many want to give something up—bad habits like drinking or smoking or an action that is detrimental. But what about starting something instead of stopping?
God made the most incredible resolution thousands of years ago. He didn’t stop doing something, but He gave us the gift of His Son to celebrate and embrace every year. We have the tools to make our lives an homage to the one true God. His fairness, support and protection are there for us every moment we live. The resolutions we make can be revisited every time we fall back and need to commit to who God made us to be.
We talk about putting Christ back in Christmas, but we need to put Him back in other days as well. After we celebrate His birth, we should remember the enormity of what that is; that this was something that was revealed to the world every day through the prophets in the Old Testament, the reality of the New Testament and is still revealed in the blessings of every day. Isaiah told us that Jesus would be an offshoot of Jesse, and of God. The promised Messiah was not exactly what the people expected. Our Messiah would use the Spirit of the Lord to judge us, not by our actions but by our hearts. Jesus is not a warrior God who fights our battles, but a righteous and just God who will help us through our struggles and fears.
While we may have to remind ourselves that we have a Christmas season, and not only a Christmas day, God never forgets. He is faithful and giving all the days of our lives. We know that Jesus is more important than the aftermath of the holiday. When we figure out what we want to do as the year switches over we can also think of what God has given us and what kind of help we can give to each other in His name.
Pray for someone you know and ask God to be in his or her life today. You will feel so much better while you dump that final bowl of mashed potatoes or exchange your misfitting gifts, thinking of the blessing God could be in their lives.
For Reflection:
- How will you keep the gifts of God prominent in your life not just during the holiday season, but all year as well? What visual reminders will you use?
by Margaret Duchrow
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