J.O.Y. to the World
Yesterday brought me a day that wasn’t filled with appointments or caregiving to little ones. I delighted in making a family Christmas bread recipe. While the dough was rising, I began to feel a little lost, with all this time to use. What should/ could/ would I do with all these hours? I began to feel guilty that I had procrastinated sending out Christmas cards, so I got ready to complete the task. However, the more I told myself I ‘should’ do it, the more I didn’t want to. My silly self imposed push-pull dance between misplaced guilt and relaxing was stealing the peaceful hours.
The real issue is that joy and guilt can’t share the same home and hearth. Joy is from Jesus, and I needed to allow myself to slow down and simply….be with Him. My to-do list simmered down to an acronym for joy.
J = Just be with Jesus. Focus on Him. This scripture came to mind.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
The phrase ‘the government shall be upon his shoulder’ jumped out at me in a way it hasn’t before. Recently politics has caused splits in families, friendships, etc. What will it look like to have a government where Christ rules? As the Prince of Peace – it will be perfect. No chaos or disorder. Unity. Everyone will know and call Jesus his rightful title – King of Kings. The thought of that makes me breathe easier. Hope ahead. Joy, even.
“And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.” Zechariah 14:9
O = Others. The expectations of others doesn’t dictate our spending time with Jesus. Making a prayerful plan for how much we can do for others, whether it is our time or charitable giving is wise and provides us the ability to relax. There is nothing wrong with saying no.
Y = You. It’s ok to take care of yourself, to question if certain holiday traditions – like writing Christmas cards – are actually working for you, or enjoyable. Are your traditions stealing the joy of the season? If so – it’s alright to let them go. Letting go of what doesn’t work means making space for better things. Things like prayer, reflection and rest.
I hope your Christmas is focused on Jesus, the reason we sing, “Joy to the World.”
Peace to you, dear reader. Merry Christmas.
