Tis The Season

Tis The Season
The last month of the year is typically a very hectic one. The tranquility of Thanksgiving passes and the Christmas shopping season descends upon us with overflowing parking lots, busy cash registers, and lines to see Santa that stretch from one end of the mall to the other. Teachers, in an effort to “get in” all the material that is listed in the curriculum, sometimes assign additional work just before school lets out and of course there are always the exams. Minivans full of kids and gifts (with DVD players keeping the kids attention away from the gifts) crowd the interstates as visits are made to every grandparent, aunt and uncle within a 100 mile radius. We hurry around town trying to find time to meet the extra demands which the holidays place upon us all the while striving to fulfill our usual commitments. Yet in the midst of all the rush, we find ourselves reflecting over the last 11 months and evaluating the impact of the year’s events. TIME magazine unveils its “Person of the Year” while television and radio stations promote their picks for the top songs, books, and events. Personally, we think about successes, failures, and the road ahead. The road ahead then becomes our focus and we set goals/make resolutions for the year to come.
This time of year reminds us of at least two things: the hectic nature of life and the importance of slowing down long enough to cultivate important relationships. The most important relationship, of course, is the one that is found through Christ Jesus. When asked which command was the greatest, Jesus responded simply, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” He added, “And the second is like it; you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In these two basic statements, Jesus summed up 613 different laws. As humans, we have a tendency to complicate things. If you found the above description of the Christmas holiday season even vaguely familiar, then you apparently realize this as well. As we anticipate this new year, let us pledge to be simple Christians who recognize these two simple commands and look for simple ways to carry them out.