Saturday, Dec 11, 2021

“I promise that I will not complain about Christmas stuff this year.”

Wow! It’s only two more weeks until Christmas and I’m already halfway through the devotions. YeeHaw! It’s not that I dislike writing devotions, but at times it is a chore. I do it because I know I’m supposed to do it (I negotiated with God many years ago). I sometimes complain about writing them, but after I’m finished with all of them, I begin to miss them.

It’s so strange and mysterious how God works. Sometimes, the things we view as tedious become some of the biggest blessings. At Christmastime, lots of things can be seen as tedious. Fighting the traffic, shopping, cooking, and doing things for someone else is all part of the Christmas experience. We complain silently (or loudly), yet when it’s over, we’ll begin to miss Christmas and kinda’ wish it was still here.

We’ve already talked about trying to slow down a little (see the “Hurry Up and Slow Down” devotion, Monday, Dec 6, 2021). It might also be helpful to start paying more attention to our chores, or the things that are sometimes tedious. Questions such as, “Why is this my responsibility?” or “What’s the purpose of this activity?” may open our eyes (and heart) a little more.

Christmas is not supposed to be a chore. Christmas is supposed to free us from the chains we wrapped around ourselves during the year. Maybe that’s why we miss Christmas after it’s over: We recognize that in the midst of our complaining, God was busy at work, giving us the blessings that we needed the most.

I may regret this, but now that I’ve made myself feel guilty, I’ll do it anyway. I promise that I will not complain about the following Christmas-related stuff this year: writing devotions, traffic, or anyone that approaches me and says, “I know you’re busy, but…”

Okay, there’s mine. Where’s yours?

“Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You’ll be living proof that I didn’t go to all this work for nothing.” (Philippians 2:14-16, The Message).