Joy to the World

For the most part, I get dragged through December kicking and screaming.

I absolutely refuse to acknowledge the Christmas season before Thanksgiving comes and goes. And did you see the news footage from “Black Friday?” People getting knocked to the floor and trampled in a mad rush for half-priced toys and electronics … insanity! I simply don’t have the fortitude or the desire to participate, and besides, I had to work. But my friend Susan called me that morning to say she was on her way to a sale. After I asked her if she’d lost her mind, she said, “Oh my gosh. There’s a line to get into the parking lot!” Fortunately, she made it through the day without injury or incident, and claims she got some great deals. But I maintain the deals will still be out there in mid-December (by which time I’ll have done the majority of my shopping online).

Then there’s the decorating (I hate throwing my perfectly good pumpkins away), the scheduling (jamming three months worth of events into one month and figuring out who’s going to be where when over the holidays), and the cards (which also involves taking a picture both kids are willing to share with 75 of our closest friends and family). I could go on, but I’m probably stirring up angst (which, by the way, grows exponentially until December 25th). And on top of everything, there’s the ever-present Christmas music (Joy to the World, 24/7? Please!)

Now you’re probably waiting for me to exclaim, “Bah, humbug!” But I won’t, and here’s why: The Christmas Season is really no different than any other in my year. The focus of the Christian calendar shifts to encompass the advent and birth of the Messiah, but the truth is my joy remains the same during Christmas as it does during Easter, the Fourth of July, or Halloween, for that matter.

The other day I was walking into work and a co-worker asked me why I was so “up.” I said, “You know, I guess I’m just glad because my joy doesn’t depend on my circumstances … heaven help us all if it did!” And isn’t that the truth? Every day has its own troubles, whether it’s a routine day or the next 20 shopping days before Christmas. That’s a promise straight from the Bible:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
~ Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

Happiness and joy are two very different things. You may not be happy with the way things are going in your life today, but if you have joy that comes from the Lord and your personal relationship with Him, there will be glimpses of beauty, moments of divine inspiration in even the most trying of days. That’s a promise, too:

“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” ~ John 15: 10-11 (NIV)

So I say Joy to the World … on December 25th, and the other 364 days of the year, too!