Have a Merry Christmas Instead of the Kind You're Having Now

Have a Merry Christmas Instead of the Kind You're Having NowBy [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kathryn_Lehan]Kathryn Lehan
What's wrong with Christmas? Why do so many people dread the Christmas holidays? Why has the real meaning of Christmas been turned into a commercial venture?
Christmas is a beautiful time that we can celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We should spend time honoring Jesus and thanking God for sending Jesus to save us from ourselves.
What causes stress at Christmas is that you are trying to create the perfect Christmas. We aren't perfect people. We don't have a 1960's family. We have surly relatives who get drunk at parties. We have children who can't behave when company comes over. We get tired and worn out traveling to visit relatives. We try to do too many special errands to make Christmas perfect for our family while still trying to get every day things done before the holidays. We still have to work, take kids to school, do laundry, get the car serviced, take the dog to the vet and deal with crowded stores. We desperately want things to work out perfectly.
This is where we lose the spirit of Christmas. We forget that we aren't perfect. Our lives aren't perfect. Our families aren't perfect. Strangers around us in the crowded stores aren't perfect. Life isn't perfect.
So let Christmas plans be flawed. Let the lights not get put up. Forget to order the Christmas ham. Leave a few people off your Christmas list. Let your relatives drink too much and fall asleep on the front yard. Let your kids go skiing with their friends instead of coming home during winter break. Let the plane be delayed nine hours by bad weather in Chicago. Let Christmas be one giant messed up holiday and you'll enjoy it more. Relish the mishaps. Write them all down and laugh about them next year.
So how do you have a Merry Christmas?
You change the focus of your Christmas. Take the focus off of you and put it back on Jesus Christ. Christmas is called Christmas for a reason. It isn't Susan-mas or Bob-mas. Put Christ back in your Christmas. A look at Jesus' first Christmas will help put your Christmas in perspective.
Jesus was the Son of God. The Son of God! You can't get any higher credentials than that. Yet, Jesus' own Christmas wasn't perfect.
Jesus' mother was supposed to be a virgin when she turned up pregnant. She was ostracized for being pregnant out of wedlock. Jesus' father, Joseph, was reluctant to marry his betrothed because she was already pregnant. So do you know anyone who is pregnant out of wedlock? Are they part of your Christmas?
Mary and Joseph went ahead and got married, even though their families both disapproved. Even though it doesn't say specifically in the Bible, you can imagine there were hard feelings on both sides. So do you know anyone who is disliked by the family they married into? Are they part of your Christmas?
Mary and Joseph hardly had time to settle into the idea of marriage when they had to take a long trip. Long trips weren't easy back then. They walked most of the way because their donkey wasn't for riding, he was for carrying their belongings. The trip was long, arduous and dirty. The trip wasn't a vacation; it was to pay taxes. So do you know anyone with money problems? Are they part of your Christmas?
When Mary and Joseph reached Bethlehem, they didn't have the money to stay at an inn. They could only find a barn (manger) to stay in. They slept with farm animals because it was the only place they could find. They were essentially homeless. They were given the barn to sleep in because Mary was pregnant, otherwise they would have slept outside with the other people too poor to afford lodging. Do you know anyone who is homeless? Are they part of your Christmas?
There was no talk of a large banquet or shopping sprees for Mary and Joseph. There was no talk of family and friends celebrating the birth of their child. They were alone and hungry in a strange city. Do you know anyone who needs a family at Christmas? Are they part of your Christmas?
But the most amazing thing happened when their child was born, everything changed for Mary and Joseph. Sure, they were still homeless. Sure, they were still hungry. Sure, they were still far from home. Sure, they were still outcasts in their own families. Sure, they were still obligated to pay their taxes to the government. So what changed?
Their hearts changed. Their lives were changed by the amazing love that entered their lives at the moment Jesus was born. But Jesus wasn't born so his earthly parents could have love, he was born so all of us could experience a love that passes all understanding. A love we couldn't find in any other circumstance or in any other person. Jesus came to show us love, to show us mercy, to show us grace, to show us a better way to be in this world. Everything changed.
People from thousands of miles away (the three wise men were from Persia), came to see their child. How did they know? There wasn't a birth announcement in the newspaper. The wise men knew because the birth of Jesus Christ had been foretold thousands of years before. They knew because all the prophesied signs written in the Bible were present to announce the arrival of the Messiah (the chosen one). They knew because they could feel Jesus' presence in the world. Everything changed.
When you look at the difficulties Mary and Joseph faced on that first Christmas, doesn't it make you feel kind of foolish to worry so much about buying the "right" present for everyone? Or to stress over getting your house decorated just so? Or to get upset because your relatives are acting up? All of the things that cause stress and strive at Christmas are the result of expectations the world has put on you, not expectations from God.
God wants you to celebrate the birth of his son, Jesus Christ. He wants you to be joyous in every circumstance, even if the ham burns or the Christmas tree has a dead squirrel in it. He wants you to read the Christmas story from the Bible, and to understand what a life changing moment Jesus' birth was for you.
His birth was for you. His arrival in the world opened the door for you to have a personal relationship with God. That very moment gave you unlimited access to the Creator of the universe. That moment gave you forgiveness for your sins. That moment brought light into a dark world. That moment gave you everlasting life. That moment defined Christmas. That moment changed everything.
So who is coming to your Christmas?
Kathryn Lehan is the author of "Save Yourself! The Plain Truth", a primer for anyone interested in learning more about God. Ms. Lehan answers difficult questions we all have in plain language with a minimum of Bible quotes so that you can "get" the truth about God. Please visit her website at: http://www.encouragingoutbursts.com/Save_Yourself_The_Plain_Truth.html to read an excerpt from her book.
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