Where I am, snow fell yesterday, covering the world in a thick blanket of cold whiteness. Today, it was one of those cold, clear days that immediately precedes "autumn" - which I define as the time before snow comes, when you still have a reason to justify why you aren't wearing a coat. And, like the rebel I am, I refused to wear a coat this morning, though I shivered as I got in the car and winced as my fingers scraped away the icy frosting that coated the windshield. As much as I dislike admitting "Baby, it's cold outside", clearly "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas." Snow puts me in the Christmas mood more than anything.
Oh, it's snowing? Time for hot chocolate! Time to set up the tree! Break out those twinkle lights!
What does Christmas mean to you? To me, it's seeing my family together, laughing about old jokes and maybe even crying about new grievances. It's the songs that we sing, it's the candles that burn in the dark, it's seeing the presents and the stockings and the happiness on faces as the ones I love open their gifts. But mostly it's that feeling of joy that comes with my Christmas - that feeling of serving, of speaking, of acting, and of giving in love.
This feeling of joy is, I think, hard for some to grasp. When I was younger, I had a hard time grasping this concept of joy when I was told that it didn't include my receiving more presents. Some people are just tired. Such Christmas joy might be a little hard to find this season. So, in the spirit of Christmas, I am going to detail just what I think makes people feel a little more kind, a little more hopeful, and a little more joyful during the Christmas season. I propose three things to do at the same time to get a "layer effect" and the most fulfilling joy this December, and hopefully throughout the rest of the year.
Galatians 5:13 says, "For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love." Most people in America acknowledge that Christmas is a time of giving, more than receiving. Christmas movies are full of people "sacrificing" something to make someone else's lives better. A silly example of this would be in Elf, when Buddy's father "sacrifices" his pride for the sake of Buddy's "Christmas spirit" or belief in Santa Claus; a better example would be in the movie The Christmas Shoes, when a little boy works very hard to earn money and then spends it all on a pair of shoes to give to his mother before she passes away of a heart disease. Serving others always gives the server and the one being served alike a wonderful feeling. But I think that we as Christians, and as people, need to remember that it isn't about us. Sometimes people can serve others just to look good. That isn't right and that isn't what the Bible is talking about. It is not about us, not about what we can get out of giving. We have been freed from the chains of this world, and we need to use that freedom to serve one another and to bring good into the world. This is the first step to being joyful. As yourself, "What can I do today for someone else that will put a genuine smile on their face that won't reflect back on me?" And then go and do it.
I believe that speaking in love is one of the most important aspects of sharing hope, as I have mentioned in many posts previously, but I also believe that it is one of the ways to encourage joy in yourself as well. Galatians 5:15 ("But if you are always biting and devouring each other, watch out! Beware of destroying one another!") talks of the dangers of not speaking in love. We will destroy the church if we do not speak in love, and that is not the way to encourage joy. Instead, like the question mentioned in the first point, ask yourself, "What can I say to someone today that will encourage them?" And this will help to make room for the joy of the Lord to enter in your life - if you can make a daily habit and indeed a lifestyle out of speaking in love.
All of these traits come about by looking for the good in others, even when you want to see the bad. In order to be joyful, we must make every effort to avoid conflicts, and to give up the desires of our fleshly natures in Christ's name. Galatians 5:22 speaks on this when it says, "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there." They should be dead to us. In order to have complete joy in Christ, we should not be and cannot be living a life of sin. If you have some kind of sin lurking in your heart, it may be what is causing you not to feel joyful this Christmas season. If so, confess it now to the Lord Jesus, and he will forgive you and fill you with every peace and joy that will last all through Christmastime and beyond. The questions for this section do not have to do with what you can do for others, but how you may need to change: "How can I change my actions so I am acting in love?" and perhaps even, "What do I need to give up?"
In the end, the only true way to find joy in this life is to find Jesus Christ and to follow him. But through the conscious effort to renew our following the Spirit's leading and living every part of our lives with love, true joy is possible, no matter what the circumstances.
I hope you are filled with the joy of Christ this Christmas season, and may you all have a very merry Christmas!
See you in January! <3 <3 <3
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