But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." Luke 2:10, NIV

If you're like me, you're still feeling the glow of Thanksgiving (and finishing up some leftovers too!), but there's no denying that Christmas cheer is fully here. Lights are strung up around town.  Carols are played over the radio.  We even got to enjoy a holiday carriage ride as a family one night this week!  Christmas is a season that moves many of us to go beyond our normal routines to create memories and give of ourselves for the sake of others. And truth be told, it can also be a very stressful time.  Depending on our past experiences and the expectations we carry into this time of year, we can feel the burden of this season rather than its blessing. I, for one, want to make an intentional choice to experience its full potential for blessing and joy, and I want to invite you to join me in doing the same. Let me share a few simple choices & attitudes I'm choosing to embrace in my pursuit of experiencing joy to the world this season.

CAST YOUR CARES

Yours may be different from mine, but I can almost guarantee that you've got cares too. Do I have the budget for that? Do I really want to travel all that way? Am I going to get off work? Am I going to have work at all? Will my health hold up? Can I even celebrate if I miss my loved one so much? Whatever your concern, join me in casting those cares on Jesus at the onset of this season and throughout:

Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall. Psalm 55:22, NLT

This isn't an invitation to naivety and sweeping things under the rug. It's an invitation to trust that there is One who cares for you and knows exactly how to sustain us.

CHANGE THE QUESTION

When I was a kid, Christmas was a time to ask: What can I get? It was a time to publish wish lists for my parents and hope those would get passed on to aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. As I grew older, I added another question: What can I buy? I started paying attention to my siblings' wish lists, even wondering if my parents ever had one. And while that may seem like an improvement over the first question, I think the question can still "grow up" so to speak.

RATHER THAN JUST THE SELFISH "WHAT CAN I GET?" OR EVEN THE MATERIALISTIC "WHAT CAN I BUY?", I'M CHOOSING A DIFFERENT QUESTION THIS YEAR: WHAT CAN I GIVE?

For me, this modified question expands my focus beyond things that can be found on a shelf or in a catalogue. What I give doesn’t always have to come with a dollar amount. As you think about the precious family or friends you want to give to this season, be willing to consider how you can gift them with something that can't be wrapped:  your time, skill, or simply your presence.

The other reason I'm choosing to ask "What can I give?" is to be intentional about keeping my focus on the intended recipient. I want to be considerate of how I can bless others around me, to be thoughtful & genuinely sensitive to the personal needs that my loved ones may have. When our focus is on ourselves and the demands Christmas makes on our budget, we become stingy and less than enthusiastic. When our focus is on the other person, we find joy — joy in relationship, joy in paying attention to others' interests and needs, joy in being a blessing to someone else, joy in simply giving.

COME TO THE ALTAR

I'm going to take a wild guess that your calendar over the next few weeks is a little more crowded than normal.  Sprinkle a concert here, a few parties and family trips there, all on top of the everyday routine, and you've got a recipe for a season squeezed dry of all margin.  Don't get me wrong.  This hyperactivity doesn't have to be a bad thing.  But I know that when margin runs low, important things can be overshadowed by urgent things.  And one of the most important things to our own spiritual vitality is the time we spend each day coming to the altar in personal devotions and family worship.  This Christmas, I want to be intentional about planning in a way that doesn't make my family or my own heart too weary for worship.  Like the shepherds who ran to the manger, let's run to the presence of Jesus day by day...even if it means saying YES to a few less commitments or gatherings.

As we enter this Advent season, let's give ourselves pause to be honest with our anxieties and then humbly hand them over to the One who causes all things to work together for our good (Rom. 8:28).  Let's shift our focus outward and find joy in giving more than just gifts but giving of ourselves for the blessing of others.  And above all, may this season be marked with meaningful communion with Immanuel, God With Us.