Beating the After Christmas Blues
Intro: Christmas can be such a whirlwind. There is shopping, wrapping, baking, cooking, parties to go to, family to see, Christmas programs, concerts, and who knows what else! Once it is all over and the tree and decorations all come down, some people can feel a little sad or depressed. I did a little research and compiled some advice from experts on how to avoid feeling this way after Christmas. Some of the advice is pretty good. I’ll let you decide for yourself:
1. Get Off the "High": Many people keep the shopping and spending going too long. It's like a drug. You need to go "cold turkey" and move on.
2. Stick to a Budget: Being in debt keeps the blues going for several reasons; couples fight over money, guilt sets in, and you don't have money to do something when you want. A very small percentage of Americans are rich- most of us must stick to a budget.
3. Find something else to look forward to. Start planning another big event. It could be a Super Bowl party, a Valentine's Day party, or maybe even a vacation. Set your sights on something in the future.
4. Get active! Maybe you ate too much over the holidays. Exercise will definitely make you feel better. Take a walk every day or do what you enjoy, but just get moving!
5. Hunker down at home! Read some good books, curl up by the fire, and enjoy your family. Take naps, watch movies, find things to do around your house. It's cold outside anyway, right? It’s okay to hibernate a little. Just don’t disconnect with people too long.
6. Start a new project at work or at home. This should give you a lift! Focus on thinking, not feeling. You might even take a class to broaden your knowledge or skill in some area.
7. Get rid of “stuff.”
Grab a garbage bag and fill it with stuff. Put the bags in the garage, and then clean the garage. Get rid of it all. (Donate to charity- Nazarene Church hosting Compassion Ctr.).
8. Change your diet dramatically. Do a juice fast, or something very cleansing and healthy within the constraints of your physical condition. Get that sugar and unhealthy substances out of your system and replace them with vitamins and minerals. Don't forget your vitamin C.
9. Keep helping other people. Nothing is better for your blues and for other people than helping other people. Christmas is over but the giving should only be just starting. Do something nice for someone every day. Give the trash guy a few extra bucks for hauling away all that Christmas garbage, give bigger tips to restaurant servers, and give a flower to the grocery store check-out lady and other things like that.
10. Make A Plan For Next Christmas. Take out a notebook and start planning for next Christmas. Evaluate what went right this year and what went wrong. Plan to do better next year.
(Adapted from internet articles by Susan Dunn and Plane Williams)
-Perhaps the reason many people feel such a letdown after Christmas is because it didn’t deliver for them. They were hoping to find some comfort and joy, but all they found was an appetite that was never quite satisfied. Something deep within them was left crying out for something more.
-Let me just say that the only thing you can really take with you from Christmas is what happens in your heart. Did you make someone smile? Did you bring encouragement to someone? Did you help somebody? Did you express the love that is in your heart for your family and friends? Did you enjoy doing life with others?
-One of the most difficult Christmases Robin and I can remember happened in North Dakota a year or two after we were married. All of our family was far away and we spent Christmas alone- just the two of us. As much as we loved each other’s company, it was kind of lonely. We didn’t have the interaction with lots of family and friends that we were accustomed to. We had Jesus in our hearts, but we were really missing the comfort of being close to family and friends who loved us for who we were – no matter what!
-So, where am I going with all of this today? Well, I’d like to bring some tidings of comfort and joy that bring us right back to the true meaning of Christmas. Even though Dec. 25 has come and gone, there is still a reason to celebrate and live life to the full! There is good news for us that is good news 365 days a year, 24/7! We are favored by God! He is for us not against us! And His love makes all the difference in this world!
1. We are favored by God
-When I say “we,” I do not mean “we” as opposed to everybody else. I am not suggesting that we are more deserving of God’s favor than anyone else in this world. When the angels spoke to the shepherds, they said, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:14
-Have you ever thought about what that means? We sing Christmas songs like Angels we have heard on high, but have we really heard what they said to the shepherds? Here’s what they said: All glory goes to God who is in the highest heaven! God’s Peace has come to all mankind on earth. His favor rests on mortal humans.”
-So nobody has a monopoly on God’s favor. No single subgroup of human beings have a corner on the market of God’s good will that is directed to all mankind. We all stand in need of a Savior who can restore us to our Creator who dwells in the highest heaven!
-The good news that the angels told the shepherds that night was that God was expressing His favor by sending a Savior. He was expressing peace by giving us the Prince of Peace. Luke 2:11 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” God’s favor was made available through the Savior who was born that night in Bethlehem. God’s favor could be found no other way! Yes, God’s favor rested on the entire planet that night because He sent the greatest expression of His love to our little planet that night. But His favor would not be welcome to everyone – only to those who would receive the Savior! No Savior, no favor!
-I came across some profound words from Max Lucado, who tries to describe the enormity of what happened that first Christmas night. "It all happened in a moment, a most remarkable moment. As moments go, that one appeared no different than any other. If you could somehow pick it up off the timeline and examine it, it would look exactly like the ones that have passed while you have read these words. It came and it went. It was preceded and succeeded by others just like it. It was one of the countless moments that have marked time since eternity became measurable.
But in reality, that particular moment was like none other. For through that segment of time a spectacular thing occurred. God became a man. While the creatures of earth walked unaware, Divinity arrived. Heaven opened herself and placed her most precious one in a human womb.
The omnipotent, in one instant, made himself breakable. He who had been spirit became pierceable. He who was larger than the universe became an embryo. And he who sustains the world with a word chose to be dependent upon the nourishment of a young girl.
God as a fetus. Holiness sleeping in a womb. The creator of life being created....
God had come near.
He came, not as a flash of light or as an unapproachable conquerer, but as one whose first cries were heard by a peasant girl and a sleepy carpenter. The hands that first held him were unmanicured, calloused, and dirty.
No silk. No ivory. No hype. No party. No hoopla.
Were it not for the shepherds, there would have been no reception. And were it not for a group of stargazers, there would have been no gifts.....
"I am with you always" are the words of a God who in one instant did the impossible to make it all possible for you and me.
It all happened in a moment. In one moment....a most remarkable moment. The Word became flesh. " (Max Lucado- God Came Near)
-God sent us a Savior because He wanted to express His favor to us. He wanted us to get in on the greatest thing there ever was or ever will be – sharing life with Him! We don’t deserve it, but folks… WE ARE FAVORED BY GOD!
John 3:16-17 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
2. God is for us not against us!
Romans 8:31-32 “If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
-So many people have a warped view of who God is! Even many Christians who have responded to God’s love and received His forgiveness still harbor false views of God. Maybe we have a sense that God is always upset with us and that nothing is ever good enough for Him. We get this idea in our minds that He is exasperated, shaking His head at us, standing there with His hands on His hips saying, “What am I going to do with you?! I can’t believe you messed up again! When are you going to get it right?”
-Well, it is true that the Lord chastens or disciplines those whom He loves (Heb. 12:6), He does not send us on a guilt trip. His desire is to help us grow strong in our faith and become more like His Son Jesus.
-I love what John says about God being for us, not against us: 1 John 2:1-2 “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense-- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
-I suppose it is the fact that God is totally just and will judge all sin that many people get this idea that God is against them. But remember the Christmas message: on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. Does that sound like God is out to get us? No, He’s out to save us! That is why His mercy completely satisfied the demands of justice. Only His Son Jesus could take our sins on Himself and clear the way for us to get right with God. Again, God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it by the sacrifice of His own life.
-And if that were not enough, He included so many more blessings and benefits for those who receive the Savior. He offers things like physical healing, emotional and spiritual healing, deliverance from the holds we’ve allowed Satan to have on our lives, freedom from addictions, wisdom, peace, joy, the opportunity to use our talents and gifts for Him, and so much more!
-Listen! God is for us, not against us! Doing life with Him is not an adversarial or dysfunctional relationship! There is no longer shame or guilt! There is no manipulation or mind games that come from God. God is not trying to “one up” us or pull something over on us! He has nothing to prove! He has already demonstrated His love for us by dying on the cross for us before we ever came on the scene and before we ever did anything for Him.
-I hope that this helps brighten your heart and maybe even your face today! God is for us, not against us! We are favored by the Lord Himself!
3. God’s Love makes all the difference in this world!
Ephesians 2:4-5 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions….”
-God’s love makes us come alive!
John 13:34-35 34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
-As God’s love in us is expressed, it shows the world who we belong to.
Ephesians 5:2 …live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
-God’s love is expressed through giving of ourselves.
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
-God’s love drives out fear. Fear is replaced by trust and confidence in Him!
-God is love! And where He is there is light and there is life!
-So, how do we beat the after-Christmas blues? Realize that we are favored by God! Try to understand that God is for us, not against us! And let His love change you, giving you new life, new identity, new generosity, and a new confidence in Him! His love truly makes all the difference in our lives – if we will let it!
-And always remember that God’s love flows to us through other people. Don’t check out for your sake and for theirs! There are people around you who need God’s love that is flowing through you! Open up your heart to God and let His love flow out to others.
