Finding peace, wholeness & joy at christmas

It seems like Christmas gets earlier every year. Many people have had their tree and decorations up for weeks already. Just putting it out there, I’m not always a major fan of Christmas for a few reasons. Don’t get me wrong, there’s great elements of it I do love and lots of fun things happen at this time of year, but it can also be overwhelming, especially after the last 18 months where we’ve been restricted in who we can see/what we can do. 

 Do you look forward to all the festivities or are you a bit more like the Grinch at this time of year?

What does Christmas mean for you?

It might be the highlight of seeing everyone’s Spotify Wrapped on social media (I love seeing what other have been listening to and discovering new music).

Is it shopping for gifts for loved ones? Being able to bless them with a gift that made you think of them. 

Getting the decorations out, putting up the tree and all the pretty lights up in the house and seeing gifts under the tree. 

You might enjoy the Christmas songs that seem to play on the radio/in shops for months on end or carol services and nativity plays at church.

Cozy nights in watching festive films, making the most of the festive snacks - an ideal way to spend the winter nights. 

For some, it’s the joy of seeing family and friends that we haven’t seen in a while and spending quality time with them. For others it’s enjoying the Christmas markets (thankfully some of them have been able to go ahead this year) and Christmas isn’t cancelled. 

While all these things are great, Christmas can be a challenging time for people who have lost loved ones or those who aren’t close to family/have been isolated from them and friends over the last 18 months.

It can be easy to get caught up in all the commercial things that seem to go along with Christmas these days... buying all the things. Many end up in debt due to the pressure of trying to keep up with the Joneses and make sure they’re doing the same thing as everyone else. Seeing all the festive wreath making or beauty advent calendar unboxings, perfect Christmas gifts etc on Instagram, it can be easy to feel that we’re missing out if we don’t have/get involved with these things, but there’s so much more to Christmas than that. 

As cheesy as it sounds, there is a ‘reason for the season’ and it’s not just all the good festive things. 

It’s a time to stop and celebrate the birth of Jesus, who came that we might have life in all its fullness. Whether we find Christmas to be a time of joy or challenge, we can find hope, peace/wholeness in Jesus:

“For a child has been born—for us!
    the gift of a son—for us!
He’ll take over
    the running of the world.
His names will be: Amazing Counselor,
    Strong God,
Eternal Father,
    Prince of Wholeness.
His ruling authority will grow,
    and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.” 

(Isaiah 9:7 – MSG)

Hopefully during this Christmas season, we’re all able to stop and find the peace of God amidst the busyness of it all. 

I was reminded recently of the original lyrics of Chris Tomlin’s ‘Joy Unspeakable’ 

“Joy, unspeakable joy
An overflowing well
No tongue can tell
Joy, unspeakable joy
Rises in my soul, never lets me go.”

Joy isn’t circumstantial, or based on what we have/don’t have, it comes from knowing we are loved by God, chosen by Him with a plan and a purpose. He knows the things we face in our lives every day and as we look to Him, we find all that we need... He sparks in us a joy that is unending.

If things get tricky over the festive period, lift your eyes to Jesus and let him be your peace and bring wholeness to you/your situation (rather than spend hours scrolling social media and falling into the trap of comparison). Listening to a worship song, spending time reading the Bible, praying, and talking with others will allow you to catch glimpses and hold on to the moments of joy amidst the chaos/overwhelm that the festive season can sometimes be.