“And the soul felt its worth
oh fall on your knees,
oh hear, the angels voices” …
I think some of the most beautiful lyrics of all time are contained in some of the old carols we sing to this day. In our rote recitation of the lines we often glance right over the beauty and weight these words hold.
“A thrill of hope
a weary world rejoices
for yonder breaks
a new and glorious morn.”
How beautiful are these words? Have you ever stopped to truly listen and ponder the words of these songs? My guess is you may have given them a moment of thought at one point, before being distracted or rushing off to another task. The Christmas season is filled with to-do lists, parties, commitments, shopping and traditions to uphold. It may not only be the most wonderful time of the year—but also the busiest! This is a season from which we all feel that we need downtime afterwards in order to recover from the busyness of the season. Some people even dislike the season because of all the busyness—the decorating, the shopping… . Christmas doesn’t have to be like this though—it can be a time in which we slow down and do the things that truly bring us joy and leave us feeling recharged at the end instead of depleted but you will need to make a conscious effort to do so.
Into which group do you fall? Do you ever stop? Do you ever get still? Do you ever carve out time for the activities that mean the most to you? Do you ever let your “soul feel its worth”?
I have seen people rush from activity to activity, from party to party, and then at the end of it all say, “But I really wanted to do (fill in the blank) and I never got to this year.” This is a tragedy. I used to fill our calendar with every last Christmas activity so that all the gaps were filled, until I noticed that we weren’t getting enough of the things we really love during this season. Not enough time curled up watching Christmas movies. Not enough time enjoying wrapping gifts while listening to Christmas music. Not enough time playing games in front of the fire. We were getting all the big things in but hardly any time to enjoy the still, quiet times.
The parties are great. I love all the Christmas things, but you know what? It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if you run out of time to do all the things your wanted to do. It doesn’t matter if you can’t find the perfect gift for someone. It doesn’t matter if your wrapping coordinates with your Christmas decor. What matters is if you slow down enough to keep Christmas in your heart. Because even if you have the best decorated house, the most thoughtful gifts, and attend every festivity that you possibly can, it won’t matter if you are so rushed that you hate every minute of it. This is especially true if you are a wife and mother. No one will remember what gift they did or didn’t get that one Christmas, but they will remember if you were crabby and irritable through every activity.
You do have the power to put on the brakes. You do have control over what kind of Christmas you have this year. You have the power to slow down just enough to let the season soak in. You have the power to do the things that nourish your soul, that make it come alive, that allows your “soul to feel its worth”.
This Christmas will come and go, another year will end, another will arrive. Time will keep its frenetic pace. But will you notice any of it? Will you get more than one day to enjoy the season? I hope that you do. I hope that this Christmas will work as a Sabbath for you; that it will be a time when you slow down enough to focus on what matters most as we head into the new year, and that you will feel rested and not depleted from the holiday season. Let’s re-examine our priorities and focus on what matters most to us in the year ahead.