~ MORE or LESS ~

Does anyone else feel as if the Holidays are filled with underlying pressures that we all wished magically could disappear? The setting of the Christmas Budget…the wondering which gift would be the best…whose family we will spend Christmas Day with…whose feelings will we hurt? What if this gift is not liked…will she be mad if I don't get her a gift…what if he really doesn't like the tie I found. 

Yup…we all know how these emotions affect us during this time of the year. In fact, these emotions and strains can cause what is supposed to be a Wonderful and Magical time of the year to become one of the most Stressful and Tension packed times. How can this be changed? How can we prevent these things from happening? From feelings being hurt to feelings being lifted? 

Would the answer be to Over Spiritualize this message and say that, if we only would focus on what the True Meaning of Christmas is, then none of this would even happen? Is that really a message that would even soak into us? Have we become so complacent about that message that it doesn't even have the ability to impact us anymore? In my way of thinking…I would have to say, for the most part, our society has become complacent about this message. What would it take to change this Stressful and Tension Packed Season into one full of Whimsical ~ Creative ~ Christ Centered Thinking?

A Holiday time, that when we look back and through it, we are full of the Wonders of the Season. 

When you go through times in life that force you or thrust you into turmoil…that strip you down to the core of seeing who you are…you are bound to see everything in your life in a New Light. I'm thinking that almost everyone eventually gets to experience such times in life. How could we not…right? We are tossed to and fro in a world full of challenges…full of ups and downs…life is constant and always moving us into victories and defeats. So, if we do know what it is like to experience these times, wouldn't it be simple to know how we would want this Christmas Season to look…to feel…to move in us and through us? It should come easy…it should be easy to accomplish…yet, it is not. 

CHRISTMAS…I've been thinking about the word. "CHRIST" and "MAS". In Spanish "Mas" means more…and we all know that if we take away the "Mas" we get just "Christ". Two good words…two important words. It could be turned around many ways…More of Christ…Christ is More…MoreChrist…ChristMore. Being Christ Like…Being more like Jesus. Selfless…Giving…Sacrificial…Patient…Kind. The Fruits of the Spirit. Christmas becoming the Fruits of the Spirit. What a ChristMas that would be! 

Mas or More of Long Suffering, of Kindness, of Gentleness, of Peace, of Goodness, of Joy, of Self-Control, of Patience and of Faithfulness. 

So…what do I plan to do with this message…this Fruit Of The Spirit thinking. Creatively I thought of a couple of things. First, I thought about making ornaments with each of the words of the Fruit of the Spirit on them. I also thought about making a craft that would incorporate the words…ChristMore and MoreChrist…and…a craft that would put More and Mas together. I want to think outside the box…think of ways I can Live Out this message of not just doing away with the MAS of CHRISTMAS…but including it with CHRIST. 

It belongs there.