Karen Kelly learns that the best Christmas doesn't have to do with Instagram worthy decorations.
As Perfect As A Magazine
After a full day of teaching, I ran into the grocery store to pick up a few items for dinner. As I stood in the checkout line, my eyes caught a glimpse of a magazine cover announcing The Best Christmas Ever! 125 inspiring ideas and recipes to have the perfect Christmas.
I quickly picked up the magazine and flipped through the pages.
Each page took you deeper into a decorated home with garland perfectly displayed, baked goodies I could almost smell, stockings adorning the fireplace mantle, and the decorated tree with coordinated wrapped packages waiting for Christmas morning.
Even though my schedule is full to overflowing, I added the magazine to my items with sugar plums dancing in my head, thinking this will be the year to pull it all together for the best Christmas ever!
Unloading the groceries, I placed the magazine on the kitchen table to look at later.
The Walk
The following morning, my alarm goes off early. I quickly tied my shoes and headed out the door for a brisk early morning walk.
My mind raced with anxious thoughts as I thought of everything I needed to complete before Christmas morning.
I snapped out of my head as I heard the sounds of my neighborhood starting to wake up – lights turning on, garages opening, and birds singing. I stopped and remembered the Christmas story.
Mary and Joseph must have been filled with uncertainty as they traveled to Bethlehem. Mary, nine months pregnant, riding a donkey, knowing the Son of God would be born soon. She probably didn’t expect he would be born in a town where there was no place to stay (Luke 2:4-7). Jesus’ birth was surrounded by much uncertainty. But Mary wasn’t uncertain about who her son was; He was the Son of God who had come to save the world.
I stopped, took a deep breath, and said a quick prayer thanking God for a great morning walk and peace to settle my anxious thoughts. I finished my walk and ran inside to start the day.
I pray to keep the perfect Christmas by keeping my eyes focused on Jesus.
Reality Check of Grace
Several days later, I saw the magazine on the counter untouched and suddenly the idea of the best-ever Christmas started to fade. My vision of everything perfect for the family was being replaced with the song “Where Are You Christmas,” and a cloud of disappointment formed.
What happened? I got up early for my morning walk, spent time with the Lord, and throughout the day, tried to be organized and intentional. But no matter what I accomplished, a sense of overwhelm snuck in.
I thought this would be the year to have the picture-perfect Christmas, but it’s not working out the way I wanted.
Where are you, God?
And then, as quickly as the anxious moments hit, I hear a still, small voice reminding me, “God hasn’t moved; your eyes have focused on what the ‘world’ considers the ideal Christmas. The perfect Christmas is keeping your eyes on me.”
I sat down with my Bible, and with tears beginning to fall, I prayed to keep the perfect Christmas by keeping my eyes focused on Jesus.
The Best Christmas Ever
The best Christmas isn’t about the tinsel, the perfectly decorated home, the smell of freshly baked items, and the coordinated wrapping paper I envisioned.
Christmas is about a baby born in a manger with angels proclaiming his birth. Jesus was born so we may live life abundantly and someday have an eternal home with Him. He is the reason for the season. He is the Son of God. He is what Christmas is all about.
The best way to celebrate His birth is by sharing our story and how Jesus is our Hope in a world that desperately needs to hear His gift of peace and comfort.
Oh, my sisters and brothers in Christ, this Christmas can be the “perfect Christmas” in Jesus. Life may have happened in ways you never dreamed of, and the thought of facing the holidays is difficult, but Jesus will never leave you.
Stand tall in Him; keep your “vertical core” strong in the Lord. With your eyes focused on Him, give Him praise and thanks for the gift of His son. When our core with God is strong, the “horizontal” pieces of life will fall into place as Jesus walks with you to navigate this journey.
My home will be decorated with ornaments from years of past Christmases, imperfect cookies will be made and shared, and packages will be wrapped in an assortment of paper, but it will be done with the song of “Joy to the World, the Lord Has Come.”
I will not worry so much about my house looking like the magazine cover I saw in the checkout line. Instead, I will take time to share the gift of Jesus with others. I’ll visit with a widowed neighbor, meet a friend for coffee, and share how Jesus is what Christmas is all about.
And the perfect Christmas? If it’s only two of us or a family filled with kids and grandkids, I will keep my eyes on the gift God sent and know the only perfect Christmas is Jesus living in me.
God sent His son to give us hope and encouragement every step of the way. In this broken and hurting world, the gift of Jesus is by far more important than the enticement of a perfect Christmas portrayed in a magazine.
Karen Kelly is a Revelation Wellness Fitness Instructor (Platoon 25). She is a wife, mom to three, and Nana to 11 beautiful grandchildren. She lives in Nixa, MO, is currently a Reading Specialist with the Nixa Public Schools. She mentors others wanting to be whole in Jesus and to lose the “weight” of the world through fitness and Revelation Wellness book study. If you’re close to Nixa, Missouri, check out Karen’s classes!
Everything You Need For A Healthy Holiday
Our Healthy and Whole Advent & Christmas Guide has everything you need to focus this season on Jesus, God with us!
In the Guide you’ll find devotionals, articles, workouts, podcast episodes, and MORE for the Advent and Christmas season.
