Keeping Christmas All Year
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:12-13
Have you noticed that people are kinder, more patient, and generally in a better mood this time of year? I attribute it to the gift of Christmas. Two times last week I heard, “Your coffee was paid for by the customer in front of you; Merry Christmas!”
Christmas season is wondrous, with twinkling lights, and favorite traditions shared with family and friends. Yet, we often put up our Christmas cheer too. We forget why we celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This truth should encourage us to be joyful at Christmas and every day.
This year let’s keep our Christmas cheer present in our hearts year around. We can practice patience and forgiveness and extend grace during the holidays and beyond. Let’s treat each day as a gift and remember that every day is an opportunity to share the Good News and show Christ’s love to a broken world.
Dear Heavenly Father, no words describe how incredibly grateful we are for the gift of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. So many distractions in this world keep us from staying focused on You. Thank You for preparing our hearts and minds as we celebrated the birth of Your Son and, ultimately, awaiting His second coming, when all will be made new. In His glorious name, Amen.