Thursday; December 13

          The other morning I happened to look up during one of the national television morning “news” shows and saw the title of the upcoming segment, “The Torture Of Dressing For Your Holiday Party”.  That title just floored me ... the “torture” of preparing a party?  Needless to say I didn’t watch the segment, but I did do a little more investigating and it seems this title appears to have come from an article from the New York Times.  I skimmed the article and I get the gist of what the columnist was trying to convey – but, I keep coming back to the title ... the “torture” of preparing for a party.  I realize that it may have been either tongue-in-cheek or a hyperbole; but, unfortunately, this mindset has crept into our society.  How many people feel “stressed” this time of year?  Why?  We are stressed because we are so well liked that we have to attend several holiday parties ... we are stressed because we have to decide how much food we need to prepare to feed a dozen people on Christmas Eve and twenty people on Christmas Day ... we are stressed because must match (to the dollar) the amount of money we spend on presents for Billy and Suzy ... we are stressed because the weather might interfere with our holiday getaway to the Caribbean?  Ah, the stress and torture of the holiday season – really?
          Let’s do ourselves (and everyone around us) a favor this year – let’s relax and enjoy just how blessed we are!  The overwhelming majority of us have ample food, a controlled climate and loving friends and family.  Let’s not get caught up in the idea that this is a difficult (much less stressful) time of year.  Simply, let’s take the advice of the Apostle Paul, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15) 
         Think About It!

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