Christmastime is Here

Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth 

-from "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"

So, how you are doing this Christmastime? Are you letting the warmth of the season enter your heart?

I will admit that last week I was feeling rather stressed. Between work being so incredibly busy and my rush to get gifts for everyone, wrap them, write Christmas cards, etc... there was little room for any thoughts beyond those things. These are all good things, really, but when they become stressful I need to take a step back and remember that my heart should be full of the spirit of the Christmas, and not other things.

I think I do this every year around this time. I feel the hectic deadline of Christmas and put the stress on myself to be faultless. If I mess something up or forget something, I feel like a failure. Pastor Cory gave a great message with the reminder that Satan likes to whisper lies to us that might contain some truth. If we fail at something, he whispers that we are a failure. No, we are not, but many times we begin to believe in that lie, and we let it rule over us. We might have made a mistake but that doesn't make us failures. I chewed on that the rest of the day because I struggle with trying to be as close to perfect as possible, and I dread any ounce of a mistake. And that makes me more susceptible to Satan's lies and he knows it.

My church's annual Christmas concert is where I usually find myself relaxing each year, and this year was no exception. I always sit in the balcony (this year Colin and Cayla came with me, which was delightful!) and I notice how I feel myself physically sinking into the pew with a relaxed and renewed focus on God's goodness and the joy of the season. Signs of stress and worry leave me as the music starts. All other items on my to do list dissipate into the air filled with glorious orchestral music. There is something about live orchestra music that causes the depths of my soul to emerge and latch onto the harmonious sounds. I lose myself in the music. If we have such beautiful musical arrangements here on earth, I imagine that it is a mere sliver of how heaven's music will sound. A foretaste of what is to come. Christmastime is here.