We see ads for people who have allegedly achieved financial freedom; a couple in their mid-sixties, alone on a secluded beach front property. We assume they arrived at perfection by leaving humanity behind. Isn’t that just like the marketers today? Knowing our exhaustive lifestyles, they paint seclusion as some definitive reward. We’ve been sold the falsehood that solace and security is the source of pleasure.
And why should it be any other way? When we’re together all we do is get on each other’s nerves. People pull out in front of us. They are rude to us in the grocery store. They say harsh words (and that’s putting it mildly!). They don’t seem to care whether anyone else lives or dies.
Yes, it’s really that way right now as the Holiday Season begins to crank it up. People’s fuses get shorter and people set up their days to become very broken. Really though if there was ever a time that true Christians could make a difference it’s this time of year.
Someone wrote the following article packed with truth...
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We
were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out
of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed
on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!
The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started
yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy.
And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just
do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the
hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call,
'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run
around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and
full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a
place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take
it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.
Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at
home, or on the streets.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks
take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning
with regrets, so... Love the people who treat you right. Pray
for the ones who don't.
Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you
take it!
Now ... go have yourself a blessed, garbage-free day!
Wow, now that’s one way to look at life.
Yet, because of life, people and our own self-centeredness, we more-times-than-not live life without being connected to people.
As you run head long in to the Holiday Season you will have chance after chance to touch the lives around you as Christ did. Yet at the same time you will be tempted to shut off your world and allow very few into your life. Jesus would never do that. I believe Jesus would have relished the Holiday Season. With all of its chances for it to be Jesus and people and people and Jesus, our Lord would have enjoyed the holidays immensely. Yet, we tend to with dread walk out into this world and into one of the greatest chances to do what Jesus would do, Love People.
If we are not careful we will be dreading Holiday meals and parties. We may even tend to blame our feeling on all the sinners at those events. (Another thing Jesus would have never done.) Really our feelings are because we have been trained by our world to be selfish. So, what do we do about it?
First pray for yourself every day. Repent and continually ask God to help you get past you. Then work at it and do your part to change. Yet you will never make it through the Holidays with a Christ-like spirit if you don’t have daily prayer in your life. You are not talented and smart enough to make it on your own. No one is, just look around you at how this world is doing without Jesus. So first, Pray!
Second remember people matter to Jesus. You may not like people but Jesus loves people. I can’t see how we can be Christ-like and not love people. Have you ever wished or prayed that God would save your family, touch your relatives? Why not allow Him a place to start this Holiday Season, that being through you? Yes, people matter and we need to act like they matter. Be sincere when you visit. Stop looking over their shoulder and away from them. Look people in the eye when you talk to them. Yes, remember people matter.
Third, get in front of a mirror and practice smiling and being pleasant. You may have to really work on this one. Our life actions can often make our words blush if the two are not properly aligned. God forgive us if our words are poetically pointed towards others, yet our actions are self-centered and us-oriented. Yes, you will have to work on this before you go out. It’s just as important as getting you appearance all prettied up. So spend some time polishing the rough edges and wrinkles out of your attitude before you leave the house.
So let’s have a happy Holiday Season, a joyful Thanksgiving and a meaningful Christmas with all the events and fun crammed in between. Let’s make sure we enjoy it as much as Jesus would. It will be full of chances to make a BIG difference in the lives of people!
Jesus would have loved this time of year. No, He loves this time of year.
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