What has happened to all your joy? Galatians 4:15, NIV

When we were kids, we would get up in the morning and think, "Just 3 more days until Christmas!" It was an exciting thought! A joyful thought! We simply could not wait. But now that we are adults, we get up in the morning and think, "Just 3 more days until Christmas!" And, it is all too often a gloomy thought... a depressing thought... an anything but joyful thought. And we wonder what has happened to all of our joy.

What has happened is that somewhere along the line we exchanged the excitement of Christmas for the cares of the world. We wear ourselves out with the shopping and the cooking and the planning and the worrying over how we will pay for it all. We get sick and tired of Christmas because we really are sick and we really are tired. When we get that way, maybe it is time to take back our joy.

Now, we clearly cannot just turn our backs on all of the responsibilities that we have as adults - I am not suggesting that at all. What I am suggesting, though, is this: That we pause from time to time with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate or a tasty and refreshing ice cold Dr. Pepper... and regain our perspective... and slow down. If this means that the kids will have one less package or the wife one less frill or the husband one less side dish at the table, then so be it! Just do not miss out on a Christmas filled with joy.

It is possible to have that joy because 2,000 years ago a Savior was born in the town of Bethlehem. That event caused the angels to rejoice! And, whether we celebrate that holy birth on one special day of the year or on every day of our lives, that event should cause us to rejoice as well. We are going to Heaven someday if we will live faithfully today. Don't get so busy that you forget that promise and miss out on the joy it brings. If we have lost sight of that joy, it is possible to reclaim it. We can begin with this:

The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today, in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11, NIV