Take time to remember the reason behind the season
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
- Isaiah 9:6 (NIV).
Christmas - could it be that time of year already?
The thought of the holiday brings a flood of emotions - from laughter and joy to worry and fear as we think about the depletion of our bank accounts and overextended charge cards. We wonder how we're going to afford the festivities.
Sometimes warm sentiments fill our hearts as visions of softly lit Christmas trees and warm glowing candles cross our minds.
At other times, loved ones away from home and sending kids to the ex spark feelings of loneliness and depression.
For Christians, we need to put aside our personal feelings and shop-until-you-drop mentalities and turn our focus to dedicate the "holy day" for what it is - celebrations of our Savior.
As we change our focus for a moment, let's look at how we can keep the main thing the main thing.
From Dec. 1-25 is known as Advent, which means "coming." As the "holy day" approaches, what we celebrate is the coming of Christmas Day. If we keep this in mind, we can view the whole seasonal celebration with enthusiasm.
When I was a young girl, I was given an advent wreath consisting of four candles placed in a ring with red ribbons intertwined with green garland.
Each week as Christmas approached, we lit one candle and read some Scripture verses regarding the birth of Christ. In keeping with the spirit of the true reason for the season, we could read some of the Advent story out of Luke each week and light the candle of our hearts of our hearts as we ponder the blessed event.
We could enjoy an Advent calendar that displays a picture of the season. Some have beautiful manger scenes, while others stir our minds to the traditional winter wonderlands.
Each calendar has a small box that surrounds each day from the first to the 25th. As we open the box, we receive a surprise picture on the other side. Some contain a piece of chocolate. Opening a box each day until Christmas could be a reminder to stay focused in the particular activity for that day.
As we prepare for the coming of our Christmas celebration, may each day be an occasion to ponder the most pivotal story in history.
• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. Annettee will be at Panera Bread in Round Lake Beach for a Meet and Greet the Author from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Dec. 5. Contact Annettee at Annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413. She is available to speak at events and Bible studies.