Finding JOY in Christmas
As I watch my three precious GrandJOYS, I can’t help but see the wonder and joy of Christmas!
Last week-end our 3 year old Granddaughter came to the house and it being the first time she had been to the house since I got all of the holiday decorations up, she came in wide eyed and excited. Upon seeing my wide collection of nutcrackers on display, she looked them over with quite the wonderment and then simply asked, “how did you buy ALL of these?”
I really haven’t thought that my collection of nutcrackers would amaze anyone besides me. Each nutcracker is special to me. The first one given to me by my Grandmother and each year after that I have added to my collection. It actually brought me some joy to see the eyes of a little one light up like mine once did when I was a little girl, mesmerized by my own Grandmother’s holiday décor.
It is so easy to lose sight of the magic, the wonder and the joy this time of the year. If only we could see Christmas thru the eyes of a child. Instead of feeling rushed and stressed, we might be able to see the bright lights on the tree, or smell the fresh pine needles in the air, or rub up on the cold, rosy cheeks of someone dear to us.
When I look around, it is difficult to spot joy. Not just this time of year, but year round. Why do you suppose that is?
One reason that we don’t see joy is because we aren’t looking thru the lens of a child. We are too busy driving past the trees to notice the leaves changing. We are too consumed with our to-do lists to hear the birds chirping. We miss out on these and so many other wonders of God’s creation, all because we are too consumed with things to actually hear and see the wondrous joy all around us.
“Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things.” -Psalm 118:18
If you have found yourself losing sight of joy this season, or any season, try to look at things thru the eyes of a child. You will be awed and amazed at how awesome your world really is. For surely when you look thru the lens of a child, you will see the hand of God.
When we can see things how God sees them, we look at things with a different perspective.
To be honest, I haven’t had a lot of joy this Christmas. With the recent passing of my Mother, this being the first Christmas without her, I was having a hard time. When it came to buying gifts, she wasn’t on my list. When it came time to address the Christmas cards, I had to skip over her address. How could I find joy this season?
But somehow, thru the excitement I saw in my Grandchild’s eyes, I saw God. And when I looked at Christmas thru His eyes, I saw the beauty of the cross and the beauty and joy of the life of my Mother.
I don’t know how much joy you have this Christmas, or perhaps you too are missing someone special, but I would like to encourage you to look to God and see that His love and grace is ALL the joy you need!
MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAVE A JOYFUL NEW YEAR!
Amen, Laurie. Yes, we often are too busy to see joy when our hearts are aching. But looking at God and His love for us can help us overcome the empty spaces in our heart.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.