By: Alissa Cooper
This road. This festive bedazzled road looks all too familiar. It blares at you as you approach it, a curiosity. Not this time. I won’t do it this time, you say trying to convince yourself and yet it only takes a brief moment to pull you in.
Perhaps it is the tall Christmas trees with their beautiful sparkling lights or the bright shop windows with their attractive seasonal displays or the jovial well-meaning voice of a good friend calling you in, someone you don’t want to disappoint. Whatever the reason, you find yourself stepping up onto the glittering bandwagon that the world calls Christmas spirit.
Now, don’t misunderstand, most of the things on Christmas spirit road are perfectly fine in and of themselves. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a bit of nostalgic tradition?
You go down the road, and you pick out the perfect tree from the lot, the one that will just fit in that corner by the window. And as you place it on your car, you think of all the ornaments, the lights, the ribbons and the candles you will add to create a thing of beauty that everyone who walks through your door will praise. You purchase several new decorations to go with the many others you already have at home.
And thinking of people who will pass your threshold, your mind imagines a spotless house, every surface gleaming. So, you stop and pick up all the necessary cleaning supplies trying to put aside the feeling of angst when you consider your accident-prone children and their numerous grubby fingers.
Packing up your car, you’re enticed by a friend to go into a café for a warm mug of hot chocolate. Your conversation although wonderful reminds you once again of all the other things you should do to get ready. Music blares in the street and you can’t hear yourself think as you load up on Christmas gifts and wrapping paper unaware of the slow bubbling of anxiety in your chest. Anxiety cleverly disguised as excitement and anticipation and yet…for what?
You rub shoulder to shoulder with people offering you advice on the perfect turkey dinner or perhaps asking if you will join them for a ‘small’ Christmas party at their home. Maybe you should host one this year. Surely everyone expects it. And then there is the Christmas presentation at church, the one you agreed to months ago, but were only just reminded of today.
Nevertheless, you snow blow all the emotions away and figure there is no point going back now. Slowly, you pull out of Christmas spirit road catching sight of another road up ahead. It’s difficult to see it through the haze of glowing snow and yet you turn down it anyway without thought as the radio suddenly plays the tune of ‘Silent Night.’ The blinking lights fade away momentarily and yet your soul is anything but silent.
You don’t have time for this detour, there is so much to do, it yells at you. You stop the car suddenly overwhelmed. You never wanted any of this. You had other plans. What were they again?
It is then you catch sight of the stable on the side of this still peaceful road, and you remember… here beside the manger is where you wanted to be all along.
Too many of us find ourselves on Christmas spirit road. We fill our homes, our minds and our hearts with many wonderful things and yet as often happens, we can emerge at the end of this road wholly and utterly exhausted and wondering what it was all for.
We forget about the small, beautiful road that leads us to the place of Christ’s birth. We know in our heads ‘of course, it is all about Jesus’ and yet our actions do nothing to reflect the words from the Psalms which say, ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ (Ps. 46:10 ESV)
So how can we all choose to drive away from Christmas spirit road and walk toward the light of the manger where Christ, Almighty God, Emmanuel was humbly born to bring us life? Isaiah states, ‘You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts you.’ (Is. 26:3 ESV)
Do we trust in the Savior?
Do you recognize and see Him in amongst everything else this Christmas season? Have we all discovered the presence of Almighty God in the form of a helpless baby? Do we hear the angels singing His praises and calling our hearts to rejoice in His salvation? Are we choosing to make space in our hearts and minds for the only one who can bring us true peace and joy?
I pray that this Christmas we can all see and know Christ Jesus, that we can turn off our holiday noise and truly rest in the beautiful Hope of our Savior’s birth.
