I don't know about you but my weekend was far from par for the course.  Change comes at us fast during the holidays.  Routines are turned upside down to be replaced by the unexpected.  Friday night was one of those wild football games that you needed to see to believe.  Our guys finally won though it came down to the last minute in many ways.  The best part was getting to see my favorite daughter for awhile.  That was enough to make all of the driving worthwhile.  Saturday included a trip to town for errands and some shopping.  Some ideas look better on paper than they turn out in real life.  My body was worn out by the time I made it home.  Shopping is no way to find the Christmas spirit.  Today went well even with the steady rain.  Perhaps we were so grateful to get a good drenching that we opted to show up for church.  I am getting tired again just reading all of that.

One church in my past had one holiday party after the other.  I was on the road to some function most nights for about two weeks.  After a few years of that it seemed wise to put a stop to it.  What was odd is how most of the same people were going to all of the parties.  It is stamped in my memory that my dread level during this time of the year went sky high.  Nothing seemed normal between the decorating and all of the outings to attend.  Confessing that my personality drifted toward a "scrooge" seems fair to admit.  No amount of Christmas music could change my outlook.  Something more drastic was needed to regain some element of inner peace. 

Churches are often talking about the need for change as they move along.  It is one of those hot topics we discuss in various meetings or other gatherings.  We tend to forget that change is easier discussed than actually put into action.  Most human beings are quite happy being comfortable with their surroundings.  Our favorite chairs look worn for a reason.  Clothes can be recognized by their wear as to whether or not they are most comfortable.  Most of us may not be guilty of unhealthy hoarding but we will hold onto stuff long after the time of usefulness passes.  Take a look on some Sunday at how worn many Bibles are yet are still important.  Some of them appear as if they will fall apart but we just cannot part with them.  All of this is to say that we just do not handle change well in our life. 

This is why Christmas can be so stressful to us.  Medical professionals state that it is a major cause of depression or other ailments to our mental health.  Turns out that we are so set in our ways that we cannot fully celebrate the arrival of Jesus.  Some face this time still absorbing the grief of loss.  Others are trying to handle the economic realities with the expectations for presents.  Just thinking about all of the stress causing issues is enough to depress us.  So how do we sing "Joy to the World" when our hearts just don't feel it? 

Somehow we have to allow the reality of Jesus to overtake whatever reality stresses us.  God wants to be as involved in our world as He was at the first Christmas.  Nothing will ever replace regular scripture reading or reflection for this to happen.  We remember that the Word became flesh to dwell among us.  Our hearts are then encouraged to move deeper in our praying.  One huge suggestion goes back to the idea of watching kids during the season.  Nothing can make a happy heart like spending time with those who still believe in the innocence of living.  Does any of this promise to change our circumstances?  There is no guarantee things will improve but there is a divine promise that our heart will be different.  Besides, that heart change can be more than enough to last us through the whole year. 

Bro. Trey