Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Have yourself a merry little Christmas, Let your heart be light.
From now on, our troubles will be out of sight.
Christmas can seem like a rat race at times. There is all of the hectic
last-minute shopping at crowded malls, struggling to find the perfect gift for
someone, the decorating of the house (including checking every single bulb on
the strand of lights to find the one at the very end that shorted out the rest),
wrapping present after present after present, or preparing for your extended
family take over your house for the day. It is easy to get lost in the busyness
of Christmas, and to miss the things that are really important.
We see this happen in the book of Luke, when Jesus went to eat in the home of
two sisters, Mary and Martha. Martha spent her time running around cooking,
serving dinner, and cleaning. These were all very good things, but “busy”
things. Meanwhile, Mary sat in the company of Jesus. When Martha asked Jesus to
tell her to work too, He told her, “Mary has chosen what is better.”
Jesus is trying to tell us to live in the moment. It is great that you are
willing to be like Martha, and make sure that all of the popcorn is strung up,
but it is not worth missing the opportunity to have a real conversation with a
family member you don’t see often, or when your child’s face lights up because
Santa indeed got that letter and delivered exactly what they asked for. It is
not about all that we have to do, the list of things we have check off, but it
is all about the moment.
This year, don’t miss out on what is better. Take the opportunity to enjoy the
time you have with friends and family. Take time not to worry about the things
you have to do, but to enjoy the people you get to be with. Be present where you
are, because that is what is better, and have yourself a merry little Christmas.
