Rethinking December
By: Kristen L. McNulty
Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.
We are on the doorstep of December, so I wanted to put the busyness of the Christmas season in some context for us.
It's no secret that for many December is the busiest month of the year. And when you ask people why they are so busy, chances are they are going to say it's because they are getting ready for Christmas. And while that's certainly an acceptable answer, let's just think about this for a second.
Breaking Down How We Are Spending Our Time
If every year in December we spend the majority of our time getting ready for Christmas, that means that we're pretty much dedicating one month of the year to it. Which doesn't sound so bad in the grand scheme of one year, but let's break it down further. If every December we spend most of our time preparing for Christmas and December is one month out of twelve in a year, it's a safe assumption to make that many of us will spend one-twelfth of the free time we have in our entire lives getting ready for a holiday.
Now don't count me out as a Scrooge. Ask anyone around me, I absolutely love Christmas! But what I don't love is when I get so busy with preparing for the occasion that I end up losing Jesus in the middle of meals and presents and baking and parties. If I'm going to spend one-twelfth of the free time in my life on something, I want to make sure I'm spending it on something that is going to count. And if my way of celebrating Christmas and preparing for December 25th is nothing but shopping and to-do lists and social obligations, then I'm afraid I'm missing the mark.
However, if my celebrations are centered around Christ and I use this time of year to do the things that He loves best, like:
-reaching out to the lonely
-giving to the poor
-sharing His Gospel with those around me
Then not only am I not wasting 1/12 of my life, but I'm actually living out the kind of life that God wants His followers to live. And that's something we would all do good to follow every day of the year, Christmas or not.
This December, Let's Do Things Differently
So this December let's do things differently. Let's choose to be less busy making one day perfect and instead use the entire season to live out our faith to the fullest, reaching out to those around us who are hurting or who need to learn about Jesus. Whether that's volunteering at your local food bank, buying toys for your town's toy drive, visiting with the lonely, bringing baking to a widow, visiting with people in the hospital, taking part in your church's Christmas services. There are many ways we can use this month to the fullest and have it be an addition to the life of faith we live out year-round instead of allowing December to be nothing more than a distraction from what really matters.
Closing with a verse that still applies to us in the month of December.
The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. 1 Peter 4:7-11
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