December 2009 - Feeling Stressed About Now? You're not alone!
12/01/2009
Now that Thanksgiving is over, the rush is on to prepare for Christmas.
Now that Thanksgiving is over, the rush is on to prepare for Christmas. This is one of the most stressful times of the year. Christmas should be full of joy but so many people find it full of stress and dread. Somehow along the way the stress, the unrealistic expectations, the unreasonable demands, and all the other negative stuff shows up and the next thing you know, you're depressed, over-tired, in the poor house, and dreading one more day of this so-called "holiday season."
It amazes me how Christians seem to have the very same issues as non-Christians. I don’t see a difference in the way many of them act or talk or handle the stress of the season. Should there be a difference between the Christian and non-Christian? Most definitely YES!
I found an interesting article giving the origin of a candy that’s very popular this time of year. We place it on top of packages, in candy bowls, and even use it to decorate our Christmas trees.
It’s called the Candy Cane. Here’s a paraphrase of the article:
Many years ago a candy maker wanted to make a candy that would symbolize the true meaning of Christmas. He took a base white candy to stand for the pureness of Jesus and shaped it into a “J” for Jesus, our rock of all ages. Then he used red candy to make the red stripes that represent the blood that Jesus shed to save us from our sins.
The next time you see a candy cane, take a minute to remember the real meaning of Christmas. Without Jesus as the center, Christmas has no meaning or purpose, other than to give us a day off. Remembering Jesus and his love is the number one way to stay out of stress this season.
Here are a few other practical tips to help make your Christmas better:
-Have a budget. Usually it takes about four months for the average credit-card user to pay off holiday-related bills. The envelope system is great! Decide how much money you can spend on each person and put the cash in an envelope with the person’s name on it. When the envelope is empty, stop shopping. Don’t let finances stress you out. Simply stick to a budget and don’t spend a penny more.
-Plan early. Keep stress out by not waiting until the last minute to do shopping, baking, planning your travel or get together with family and friends.
-Learn to say NO! You can only do so much. Overextending yourself will only cause STRESS.
-Don’t place a lot of expectations on others. The only expectation we should have as a Christian is to celebrate Jesus’ birthday! If you can’t be with your family, don’t allow the enemy to put loneliness or depression on you. Choose to spend more time in prayer, reading the Word of God and helping someone less fortunate than you.
Christmas is not about a jolly man with a long white beard in a red suit! It is about what the shepherds heard so long ago “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
If you know the Savior, keep looking only at Him to put the true meaning in your Christmas. If you do not know the Savior of the world--the Lord Jesus Christ--I invite you to get to know Him. Admit you need a Savior, ask for forgiveness of your sin, and ask Jesus to be Lord of your life. Jesus is the reason for the season; there is no other reason.