My heart goes out to many who find that the holidays bring to the heart sadness, loneliness, disappointments......anything other then the expected feelings of joy and good cheer. I love Christmas but have found that the stress of buying the perfect gifts on a shoestring budget, making sure that I have forgotten no one, and making plans to visit family and friends tends to leave me feeling overwhelmed instead of cheerful. The past couple of days, I have noticed my anxiety levels rise as I am trying to coordinate the calendar - my biggest source of holiday malaise. I am a people person - nothing gives me more joy then spending time with those that I love. What to do when there just isn't enough time in a day or in a "vacation" to see and do all that my heart longs to???
The biggest thing I do not want to do in the midst of all of the extras we have attached to Christmas is forget why it is that we celebrate. I celebrate Christmas because it the recognition of the birth of my Savior, Jesus Christ. He came in the simplest of ways - born in a stable - resting in an animal feeding trough - wrapped in loose cloths. Yes, He was celebrated in the heavenly realms as the angels sang for joy over the quiet sheep-lined hills. It is a joyful time! I must recapture that joy and eliminate expectations that rob that joy! GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY - A SAVIOR HAS BEEN BORN! AMEN! Ahhh, the peace is stored to my anxious heart!
