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by PAM
As I squeezed myself through the crowd of last-minute 'Christmas shoppers', feeling really tired and stressed out rather than excited as I used to feel in the same season in the past years, I felt that we are losing the true spirit of Christmas. I hear shoppers asking one another, "would this look good on FB?" Others prefer more opinions,"wait, let me post this on Instagram and see what my followers think."
Perhaps, I'm just incredibly overworked and too physically tired to appreciate the 'festive' mood around me, seeing and hearing instead the shallowness of people's take on Christmas these days. It is also possible that I'm growing seriously sick and tired of all the negative occurrences that shaped 2016... and how people welcome any kind of so-called change for the sake of having change... even if such change requires bartering one's soul with the devil! I know, it is so strange to feel the frustration over these things when Christmas is all about preparing a clean heart for baby Jesus to dwell in. I guess, before purging one's heart of frustration, one has to stare frustration in the face first... and then kick it out with relish!
Welcome, HAPPINESS! 'Joy to the World, the Lord is come!'
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| "Let every heart prepare Him room... ...no more let sins and sorrows grow... He comes to make His blessings flow. He rules the earth with Truth and grace... And makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love" |
Seriously, I'm not sure how Christmas should be celebrated anymore these days... with all the 'noise' around, and the changing 'norms' by which Christmas is viewed in our world now. It is not my place to attempt to 'preach' and convince people about the true meaning of Christmas... but I'll stick with our family 'tradition' of spending Christmas together... going to Church to hear the Gospel of God's greatest gift to mankind - His own beloved Son to walk among us, sitting around a humble table of (mostly) home-cooked food, exchanging stories of how our year went, and exchanging little gifts that express our affection for one another... and just enjoy one another's company, thanking God for one another... and letting happiness dance around us, and stay with us in the coming New Year.
Merry Christmas!
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