Thought for Today
Isaiah 21:15 For they have fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the stress of battle.
Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety weighs down the human heart, but a good word cheers it up.
Luke 12:50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!
1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.
Stress much? Especially this time of year, how’s your anxiety level? Do you feel constantly emotionally exhausted, consumed by worry, stress, angst and a constant dread? Welcome to the human race!
Not everyone has experienced “the stress of battle” in military combat. Virtually everyone has experienced “the stress of battle” in the ‘holiday wars.’ Many of us have participated in the ‘store wars,’ the ‘mall battles.’ I cannot ever remember encountering a drawn sword or a bent bow, but I have endured massive crowds of frenzied shoppers, intent on scoring the perfect present, this year’s ‘must-have’ present.
Holiday anxiety includes the worry of whether there are as many packages under the tree as last year. Are there equal numbers of packages for each family member? Are the costs of the presents comparable for each child? Does the meager display under our tree make our family the Grinch this year?
When we were raising our own children, there was a housing subdivision in our area where every house displayed outdoor decorations. EVERY HOUSE!! I don’t know how many homes there were; but, there must have been several hundred. You could easily discern the Jewish homes by their blue and white lights and/or the large-scale dreidels in their yards. From mid-December until after New Year’s Day the traffic through this subdivision was bumper-to-bumper from dusk to late evening. Traffic would back up and clog the nearby state highway. I always worried about how emergency vehicles could possibly navigate the crowds in case of an emergency.
I still suspect that massive display was instigated and supported by the local power company and the area gasoline stations. It was massive! It was impressive! But, it was also a testimony to the commercialization of a very sacred, joyous holiday. Equally, I’m sure it was a source of great anxiety, stress, frustration and worry for every family there. How horrible it would be to have the least decorated, least over-the-top, least garish home of all the hundreds. It would be comparable to your child being the only child who did not get a (fill in the blank with your favorite example). Imagine the shame were yours to be the only child who came to school following the holiday without a (fill in the blank with your favorite example).
Stress much? Especially this time of year, how’s your anxiety level? Do you feel constantly emotionally exhausted, consumed by worry, stress, angst and a constant dread?
I hope that raising the question, writing about the issue has not raised your personal anxiety level. I suspect that, like me, yours is already high enough. Certainly you are not stressed by worry over Are all the candles there? Have the proper, expected hymns been chosen? Will this be the year when some child actually does what every mother dreads and sets a coat on fire? (we will be using battery powered candles this year)
I suspect that Joseph and Mary were anxious and stressed the week before they arrived in Bethlehem. I suspect that ever since that birth, as our celebrations have grown, as the Christ Mass has evolved into Christmas Christians everywhere have experienced what all of us are experiencing today. I know that the stress in our own family has changed and evolved as our children have grown, married and had children of their own. For our family, the stress now involves coordinating busy schedules, negotiating air travel and airports.
Every year, I promise myself that this year will be different. This year, I will relax, I will follow Peter’s advice and will cast all my anxiety on God. Well . . . maybe next year.
Stay safe, relax and relish the season of the Incarnation, trust God,
Pastor Ray