How to Avoid the Holiday Blues
Three ways that you can cheer yourself up this Christmas season.
The Christmas season conjures up images of a decorated tree, gifts under said tree, and lights strewn outside. For some of us, it also brings up bad childhood memories. What do you do when the season of cheer is anything but for you?
3 ways to cheer yourself up this holiday season
Here are three ways to avoid the holiday blues:
Remember the reason for the holiday season. Christmas is a Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Christ when God came down in the form of a 1st-century Jewish man. The fancy theological word for that is the incarnation. Merriam-Webster defines the word as, “the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ; the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form.”
The incarnation made God’s presence and glory accessible to anyone who seeks Him. In the Jewish temple system, God’s manifest presence dwelt in a room called the Holy of Holies. The high priest would go into it once a year. No one else went in. When Christ died, the New Testament says that the veil separating the holy of holies was torn in two (Matthew 27:51-52).
“When the gospel of John proclaims, ‘The word became flesh,’ the author is indicating that God took upon Himself not human nature in its ideal state before the fall, but human nature in its actual condition of privation, sin, and death.” Thomas Keating
Determine to live an incarnational life. What that means is living in such a way that you bring the presence of God everywhere you go. Here are ways you can live an incarnational life:
Be humble. Philippians 2:5-8 says that Jesus humbled Himself by taking the form of a human and dying on the cross.
Minister to those around you. Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus told His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) And in John 20:21, He said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so, I am sending you.”
Treat others with kindness. Jesus told the story of a Jewish man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho and robbers beat him, leaving him for dead. Two Jewish men came by and ignored him. A Samaritan came along and helped the man. Jews despised Samaritans. After telling the story to a man, Jesus asked him which one showed mercy to the beaten man, and he answered that it was the Samaritan. Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Pray and ask God to give you joy. Jesus said if you ask you will receive. Tell God how you feel about the Christmas season and ask for help.
Remember Christ this season
Remember Christ as you celebrate Christmas with your loved ones. Remember the life of peace, love, and compassion He lived. Remember that He loves you. Read through the gospel of Mark (the shortest and most succinct gospel) and note how Jesus interacted with people. I promise you that doing so will lift your spirits.
Resources
Invitation to Love by Thomas Keating
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Love you, dear Gina. Thank you for sharing your insights with so many. <3