Vince Deagler

hi everyone.  it’s hard to believe, but this thursday is thanksgiving and a month later it will be christmas.  for many of you, this next month will be a blur.  i’d like to consider that for a moment.  may i invite you to think about december 26 with me for a moment?  how are you gonna feel?  exhausted or energized?  encouraged or depressed?  fulfilled or empty?  content or longing for more?  what’s your finances gonna look like?  did you wind up in debt?  are you gonna struggle to pay for christmas?

are these fair questions?  i mean, after all it’s christmas, can’t we just lighten up for a moment?  i’m all for lightening up, i just might define it differently than you.  experience tells me christmas is one of the most depressing seasons in far too many peoples lives, and by definition it shouldn’t be.  there are many reasons for this, but one reason that cannot be ignored is expectation.  proverbs reminds us when our expectations are not met, our hearts grow sick.  now think of the next month. 

we have many gifts to buy, and wrap.  we have all kinds of special events connected with our work, school, church, and neighborhoods.  we have to plan for and arrange any traveling we will do.  there will be special meals, with special foods, and all kinds of decorations (unless you’re the type that leaves your christmas lights up year round).  far too many people will over spend, over schedule, over indulge, and wake up december 26th feeling empty, discouraged, exhausted, and on top of it all they will be paying off their christmas bills for months…sometimes years.  this is not because we have failed to plan or planned to fail.  for many, more planning goes into christmas than any other event on a yearly basis.  there’s plenty of planning, but maybe our planning is flawed.

so, why not stop for a moment and ask a few questions.  start with what is the purpose of christmas, why do we celebrate?  then ask what is it that i am to take away from christmas…what is it that i am to get?  this should define my expectations.  then, work backwards.  what should i be doing to turn those expectations into reality?  anything else is a distraction.  the more distraction, the more likely it is the expectation will go unfulfilled.  and then you wake up dec. 26 in debt, exhausted, and depressed.  in luke 10:38-42 there is a story of 2 sisters who reacted very differently to a visit from jesus.  martha got busy with many preparations, but all those preparations became a distraction.  in her stress she lost her cool and complained to jesus.  “hey jesus, tell my sister to help, there is a lot to do to make your visit perfect” (i’m paraphrasing).  but jesus refused to buy in.  he pointed out to martha that she had let all the busyness get to her, but mary understood what was really important here.  she spent time with jesus, something martha was too busy to do. 

many of you will repeat martha’s mistake this christmas.  don’t.  you’ll be glad come dec. 26.  thanks for reading.  have a blessed thanksgiving!