OK. So Christmas is all about gifts and presents and trees right? Oh wait, no, because it’s all about Jesus and His birthday right? Or is it?
Every year, as a Christian, I am faced with constant Facebook posts and comments about what “Christmas is all about.” Yet I never feel satisfied with these descriptions. Focusing on the fact that it’s Jesus’ birthday feels no less petty than focusing on gifts. Because focus isn’t what God asks for. It’s not focus that gets us into heaven. It’s not focus that gives us an incredible relationship with our Lord. What does God ask us for? To “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” This applies to all seasons of the year, not just Christmas.
In our Christmas “spirit” with all the hustle and bustle, I am reminded of a passage I read in The Sacred Romance. The author is writing about listening for the quiet voice of God.
What I so often hear, or feel, is a restlessness, a distractedness where it seems that dozens if not hundreds of disconnected or scattered thoughts vie for my attention. . .
Indeed, when I first listen to my heart, what I often hear is the language and clatter of my old ‘lovers’ and not much else. There seems to be no stillness or rest. If I try to hold still, my soul reacts like a feather in the afternoon breeze, flitting from place to place without purpose or direction. I almost seem invisible in the noise or blankness. Theologians refer to this condition as ‘ontological lightness,’ the reality that when I stop ‘doing’ and simply listen to my heart, I am not anchored to anything substantive. I become aware that my very identity is synonymous with activity.“
Wow. Does that not sound like, oh, I dunno, just about everyone in the Christmas season? Is your identity synonymous with activity? I challenge you to thirty minutes of quiet. Find somewhere—your room, outside, your bathroom, I don’t know—you can be quiet and not distracted for thirty minutes. Don’t bring anything. Just sit. No talking, no reading, no running, no shopping, no watching, no moving. Just sit. I dare you. It will be the longest thirty minutes of your life.
How are we supposed to hear God’s voice if we find it difficult to sit still for even thirty minutes? Our hearts desire God yet our actions and thoughts are so focused on other things. The one thing I’ve seen Christmas gives us compared to the rest of the year is time off. Most of us get either days off school or work. Instead of using this time to be as busy as possible, I challenge you to use the time off to be quiet and rest. Don’t watch more movies and play more games. Spend more time loving your God with all of your heart, soul, strength, and mind. Make your identity in God and not your activities. Focus your efforts on your Lord instead of the “holiday spirit.” So this holiday season, God doesn’t want better deeds, he doesn’t want better church attendance, he wants you. As for the times where you are interacting with family and others, I say refer to Colossians 3:12-14 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
Captive In Your Sky 