Each December I am faced with the same decision. What will my Christmas celebration entail this year? I’m drawing attention to this decision because I believe it’s representative of the many decisions we all face throughout our lives. Christmas-related decisions truly include it all! Distractions, pressure, sacrifice, temptation, tradition, and inspiration.
So, how do we navigate the decision-making conflicts brought to the surface by this sacred holiday? I propose that before good decisions can be made, we must first define what comprises a good decision.
I once gave this response when asked for my definition of success. “It’s taking advantage of our opportunities without neglecting our priorities.” We each face many opportunities each day, and to the degree we manage those opportunities through healthy decision-making, we determine the type of future we will experience. Unfortunately, the decisions we make aren’t always consistent with what we really believe. And when that occurs, what we say we believe is contradicted by our actions.
Seeking Christmas Congruity
Christmas is a season during which our decisions seem to magnify the difficulty we experience in living what we say we believe. For example, I’m confident most believers could easily tell me what they believe about the virgin birth of God’s Son, and that Christmas is about celebrating Him. What I suspect, however, is that most would also admit that honoring the God they love does not receive their greatest time, attention or energy during the Christmas season. Certainly, far less than what God deserves.
I don’t bring this up to condemn or criticize. Rather, my goal is to encourage each of us to seek every opportunity to align our faith with our actions. And when we do recognize inconsistencies in our lives (and we all will), to exercise our freedom and ability to make changes. I call this determined and intentional decision-making.
Congruency Calls for Practical Intentionality
This Christmas, will you honestly assess your Christmas celebrations, and consider whether some changes may be appropriate? Here’s a practical example of how this might be done. Begin by making a short list of what you think the most important things are this Christmas. Then, assess whether the amount of time and money you plan to spend on your scheduled activities, matches well with the level of importance you have assigned to the things on your list. If what will receive your “best” doesn’t match that which you say is most important, what changes can or will you make?
Honestly friends, I’d love to see and hear about some new decisions being made around our Christmas celebrations. Couldn’t we all find greater opportunity to spend more time serving those in need? More time in worship and adoration of the Savior, whose birth we celebrate? More time in meditation and thankful expression for the goodness and love of God?
How we do such things will be different for each of us. And praise be to God, it’s never too late to turn our hearts and minds toward intentionally living as Jesus encourages. Will you take steps toward doing so this Christmas? Begin some new practices – be creative – and let’s give God the glory He so deserves! He loves each and every one of us so much and is worthy of our all!
Merry Christmas, friends. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8, CSB). There is no better way to celebrate the birth of our Savior!
