Christmas Constancy

Just finished reading other people's Christmas blog posts as I ate lunch and decided to try to crank my own out before leaving for work...

I've been thinking and wrestling through so very much lately (always?), and have a huge list of bloggable subjects to choose from. But here's one that's been on the edge of my mind this week...

Christmas is hard this year. It's logistically hard because all of a sudden, on top of getting my own home ready, my own family shopped for, etc., I'm also trying to be sure my two group homes have the Christmas celebration that they should. And that takes more energy than I have. It's hard because I just feel worn down in general, like I need a vacation, which I can't have until February at least.

Most of all, I think it's hard because of what it isn't. That magic of childhood Christmas fades a bit more every year, and consumerism and secularism seem so heavy. I miss the first 23 years of my life, where Christmas actually meant a vacation of some sort, more than 1 day off from work, time to rest and enjoy. I haven't even gone to see any Christmas lights this year, with time and energy lacking. Last Christmas was shared with someone special who isn't in my life anymore, and that brings extra heaviness too. Our family traditions also continue to change as people grow up and the family extends wider and wider, and that's hard on top of it all. I just finished reading some really sweet blog posts written by other Christians who, too, feel a weight that they wish they didn't at what should be a joyous time of year. I know I'm not alone in this.

We heard a great sermon this past Sunday on how to shepherd our hearts with scripture at Christmas, how to think rightly about it. I was encouraged by it, but still it is easier said than done. But that combined with other musings already in my head got me thinking about what has NOT changed about Christmas.

Jesus was still born 2 thousandish years ago. God still entered our world in the form of a baby, born in a stable to die on a cross. Born to die for ME. Born to redeem a people for Himself. Born to die that we might have life. Those events HAPPENED, and no amount of "festive cheer" can add to or detract from the history that we celebrate. There will be probably be happier Christmases in my future, and there will probably be harder ones. But the one that really matters cannot be changed and will be celebrated for eternity. Hallelujah, Hope has come!