Am I crazy to expect to feel the Christmas Spirit? It seems lately people around me are in one of two camps: either they're so full of joy and happiness that I feel like I'm really missing out on something big, or else they're so void of joy and happiness that they want/need everyone around them to feel the same way - and they try to make others feel silly or childish for expecting more than the same old, same old.
I feel stuck in the middle. I want to be joyful. I AM taking time to stop and remember the true meaning of Christmas. I definitely don't buy into the commercial side of the holidays. But just because we won't be buying lots of gifts, or be spending the holidays with a large houseful of family, does that mean I have to join up with the "other side"?
What I think I want is to be the person who spreads the peace, the joy of salvation, the miracle of Christ, but I think I feel I'm lacking in people to share that with. We're in the middle of nowhere. There isn't really much to do out here, not a lot of gatherings of people to meet. It's a very lonely time of year for me this year.
So what did David do when he felt alone? disheartened? sad? He turned to his Heavenly Father. That was his source of joy, hope, strength, and peace. So that's what I must do. I need to turn over the stress and bad feelings and trust in His plan for us, remember all God's already done in our lives and find hope because His perfect plan has a happy ending. I believe when I feel this way, it just means I need to get closer to Him. God can fill me with His Holy Spirit - and that's more than the generic Christmas Spirit can ever offer. I'll take time this week to really put aside the mechanics of running through the usual routines of life and really focus on God, who He is, what He can and will do, and I know I'll find that inner joy that I've been lacking.
Thank you Father. Like David, by the end of writing a psalm, he already feels hope that things are looking up.
