Tis' the Season to Be...

Tis' the Season to Be ... well- you fill in the rest.

To be stressed, to succumb to commercialism, to overeat, to go further into debt, to shop til' ya' drop, to avoid certain relatives, to pretend to like a gift when inside you're saying, "what were they thinking?"

Have we considered to spread joy, love and peace. To give to the unfortunate, oppressed, widows, and hungry. To drop something in a red kettle. To spend quality time with family and friends. To serve a need in your community. To take a few days off of work, get some rest, relaxation and maybe even some recreation.

Sounds good to me! My encouragement to you is to not get lost in all the hype and "stress" over it all.

I truly enjoy the Christmas Season! Yeah, the sights and sounds do still enthrall me. The brilliant lights, decorated trees, the Christmas programs, and yes the shopping at the favorite mall- I enjoy it all. How about the manger scene.

Let's be careful not to lose sight of the baby lying in the manger. The good news is that the real Christmas story is not even about Him lying in a manger but rather about Immanuel-God with us. God chose to reveal Himself to us through the sending of His Son. Clothed in flesh-yet Immanuel-God with us.

So my fill in reads like this, "Tis' the Season to Be filled with the reality that no matter what I may go through, what life may take on- that God is with me. He indeed is Immanuel!