Presently Happy or Forever Grateful???

     This time of year our ears, whatever they tune into, are bombarded with strains of good cheer.   However, what we hear is not always to what our hearts truly listen.   The world echoes the illusionary chorus that all dwell in being merry, bright and receiving gifts a plenty.   Commercially fooled into thinking absolutely everyone, but themselves, dwells in complete bliss, many succumb to the perceived reality that only they are finding life filled with coal.  

     The glitter of “everything’s perfect”, which surrounds our December existence, is a decoration of an external season and not always the seasoning of our internal selves.   The discrepancy between what the world shouts and what our hearts cry out could help explain why sadness, let down with personal status quo and depression run rapid this time of year.  True self-esteem and appreciation for our many blessings (ie, not only for all we have, but also for all we have not) somehow disappear.   This doesn’t have to be.   What we need to do is realize there are two Christmas stories, and one must out rank the other.   Santa says we all can live happily ever “here”.   The Nativity proclaims ours is the gift of living happily ever “after”.

    Materialism pushes fairytale Santa and your list of wants sparkly wrapped under your Christmas tree.   The Nativity pulls us back to the gift of salvation, swaddled in a drab blanket and placed within a lowly manger.   Santa makes us presently happy and owners of many new objects.   The Nativity makes us forever grateful and in possession of the one and only greatest gift of all – eternal salvation via a newborn Babe.

    Keeping up with the revelry of Santa is good fun but exhausting.   Often, it ends up revealing how our true-to-life, 365 days a year, existence falls short of the few seasonal weeks of party celebration.  Our daily lives, beyond the December calendar, are anything but “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.   Let Nothing You Dismay”.

    Stopping to rest in the peaceful reminiscence of Christ’s serene birth is revitalizing and often re-energizes our revelation of the Christmas gift God’s love offers each of us.   Twelve months a year, our lives have everything we need “For Jesus Christ, Our Savior, Was Born On Christmas Day”.

     If we look at our families, friends and selves through Santa’s eye, the tally is either naughty or nice.   With “nice” implying worthy of all we want, who can, honestly, claim this merit; but Santa’s list and sack suggest it’s in our power.   If we see our families, friends and selves through the Nativity’s eye, we recognize all of us are imperfect humans, who have received God’s greatest gift because we are incapable of giving it to ourselves or others.

     Before I sound like Ebenezer Scrooge, or get misconstrued, let me clearly say, we all need some of Santa’s merriment and carefree celebration.   However, we also need to scale back Santa’s bright, blinding lights and be led forward by the heavenly Christmas star.  The negative happens when Santa’s bling solely abounds, and we begin to believe it is our soul’s measuring rod for what our lives (day in/day out) should equal.   Trying to measure up to what Santa bequeaths our happiness should be is unrealistic, to say the least, and depressingly out of reach for all of us.   Trying to measure up to what God decrees our lives can be is hard but, with His grace, attainable.

     As Christmas morn draws near, I wish you all Santa’s jolly gaiety and longed for gifts beneath your tree.   As Christmas night comes upon you, may you rest in the gift of waking each and every tomorrow knowing because Christ was born that long ago Nativity, your life is filled with “Tidings of Comfort and Joy”.