Looking for something more
this Christmas?
 

[November 29, 2010]   --If you are like most people, you have had a few stressful Christmas’s in the past. Maybe this year’s Christmas is already a little stressed. Grandpa’s hard to live with and nobody looks forward to seeing Aunt Ethel. The Christmas tree was too small, the lights came out all tangled, a member of the family can’t make it home for Christmas and there’s conflict and disappointment everywhere

Back when my family only consisted of my wife and my two daughters, we had traveled to my parent’s home in Canton, Ohio for Christmas. When it came time to come home, I started packing up our little car. I couldn’t get all the luggage and packages in the trunk. I kept trying to shut the lid and it wouldn’t go down and it was cold and getting colder by the minute. I looked at my family in the nice warm car snuggled in there and I got a little resentful. I wish I could just sit in a car and wait for someone else to do all the work. I tried everything to rearrange the packages and get that trunk lid down. But nothing worked and before long, I got impatient. By now I was sitting and jumping on the lid but it wouldn’t go down. And then, while I was pushing on it, I scraped my knuckle.
Finally, Bonnie came out of the car and walked around and said, “What’s the matter, won’t the lid go down?” I looked at her a little frustrated and said, “What do you think I’m doing, fanning myself with the lid?”
As you can tell, I’ve had a stressful Christmas or two. I have made up my mind I want something different this year. I’m looking for something more. I would love a Christmas without stress and conflict as far as it is within my control. I want to be a blessing to others around me without any unrealistic expectations of the perfect Christmas dinner and perfect gifts and perfect decorations. I’m looking for something more.

No one probably understands stress more than Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. Just look at what was going on in his life at the first Christmas.
First, Joseph was faced with a trip to Bethlehem with a pregnant wife. He had to pay more taxes. When he and Mary finally reach Bethlehem, there’s no room at the inn for them. And then the baby was born in a stable. Add all that up and it equals stress. However, Joseph didn’t snap at his wife or yell at the inn keeper. When circumstances don’t make sense we can only do what Joseph did, he did not let the confusion disrupt his obedience. He went right on doing what God had asked him to do.
Maybe that’s it. I’m looking for something more this Christmas and maybe I just need to do what Joseph did. I think I’ll try that!

 [Ron Otto, Lincoln Christian Church]