Submitted by David Miller
It seems every
Christmas story has to have a Scrooge, from predictable Hallmark dramas to
children's books. The reason we always write a jerk into our holiday stories is
because it's true. It's real life.
Today I want to
encourage you not to be a Christmas jerk. Don't be the Scrooge. It's all too
easy. Maybe you're expecting a new smart phone and you get a sweater. Maybe
you, as parents, have had to tighten the belt and every kid is getting fewer
packages under the tree. Maybe Christmas is a tough time because you're
reminded again of the fragility and dysfunction of your family. Perhaps you
wish your family would be like the others who seem to have it all
together.
Or... maybe
you're stressed out because you have a ton of stuff to do. Recitals, plays,
people, parties.
The
circumstances, activities, and the hustle/bustle environment around the
holidays make it all too easy to fall into jerk mode. I'm saying, don't let it
happen. Why? Because, of all people, it is Christians who should be full of joy
on Christmas. Why? Because this is the celebration of our story, how God moved
dramatically and purposely to rescue His creation by sending Jesus to live,
first as a baby, then as a growing boy, and then as a man.
Christmas is
good news. It is God's entrance into the world. God didn't stay in Heaven as a
detached or disinterested deity, He moved to become flesh. What a powerful
story!
How do you avoid
becoming a Christmas jerk? First, meditate on the story. Go back to the
chapters in Isaiah and Matthew and Luke. Remember why we celebrate. Second, go
with the flow. What I mean is hold your Christmas plans loosely. Remember it’s
about love, about giving, about peace. So if you get stiffed on the smart
phone, let it go. Third, find ways to give back this Christmas. Is there a
needy child, a program at the church, a community charity that needs your time
and perhaps your money? Give. Fourth, don't get hung up on frivolous stuff.
Don't be a Christian who whines about commercialization, about the "War on
Christmas." Just fight against those attitudes with a genuine, Holy-Spirit-led
Christmas cheer.
Strive this
year, to be part of the good at Christmas. And leave the jerkiness to Dickens
and the Hallmark Channel.
