By Kim Jessie
Many movies depict the craziness of the Christmas season: The Grinch, A Christmas Story, and Christmas Vacation are a few that come to mind. In a story similar to Home Alone, Luke 2: 41-50 recounts an incident that Mary and Joseph experienced with Jesus during a holiday season. Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and their extended family traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. Once the traditional holiday celebrations concluded, the entourage (family and friends) began the trip home. After a day of travel, Mary and Joseph discovered that Jesus was not with the group. Three days later, they finally found him with the religious teachers in the temple courts. A simple check list that included accounting for their children would have resulted in a smoother end-of-holiday experience.
As ministry leaders, the responsibilities to our families and our ministries can be overwhelming in December. We must juggle family events with required ministry activities and opportunities offered by friends and acquaintances. A simple check list might help celebrations be joyous instead of burdensome.
Remember the true meaning of the season. We are celebrating the birth of Christ, our Lord and Savior. Let’s share the Father’s love with others.
Pray for and forgive others. We all have family, friends and volunteers who have not lived up to our hopes and expectations. Spending time with these folks can cause stress when we are holding onto negative thoughts. Remember, we are celebrating the birth of Jesus who came; so, we could be forgiven. Let’s forgive and move on.
Set healthy limits. These limits can include the amount of time spent with people and the money spent on gifts and holiday activities. Our Father blessed us with Jesus; let’s bless others with Jesus, loving words and kindness.
Wishing you a joyous Christmas!