Ready or not, Christmas is right around the corner.
Does that thought fill you with excitement, or panic? I hope that it’s the former, but I suspect that for most of us, it’s a mixture of both emotions. So much left to do, and so little time! But the sparkle of the Christmas moment, ah, that’s something to anticipate!
Christmas often comes down to this for me—crucial deadlines for making/ordering/wrapping/decorating, and the decision at last . . . is this really worth it? What are my priorities, really? The pressure comes from lots of sources, but we’re the ones who make the final decisions. And as our Advent studies groups have pondered this season, what do we REALLY hope for this Christmas? Be honest. And if that’s what you really, truly want, what tangible steps are you taking to make it so? I know for at least a handful of the stories shared with me, this year plans are different, deeper, more meaningful, more sharing/giving based, so that the same old same old won’t be repeated one more year. And every one of those stories brings those folks and families closer to Christ. That’s where my Christmas joy comes from this year.
My unsolicited advice to you on this mid-December morning is to stop right this minute and review your priorities. It’s then my prayer for you that the panic will fade away, and the excitement takes over.
Grace and joy,
Julie
