The holidays has a strange way of changing people…in an absolutely great way. People wish each other holiday greetings, charitable organizations are flooded with visits from people putting in time to help out those in need and I sense that people truly want to spread joy and happiness through random acts of kindness. The sparkle and lights have a strange effect on us to make us want to be “merry”, myself wholeheartedly included. As I said, people change in the most positive ways.
But the question I ask you today is, will it last? Will the greetings last beyond the new year? Will the donations of time and money go past the holiday season? Will the desire to help each other out still burn in our hearts after the lights are taken down and decorations are put away until the next season? Will we still be thankful when we’re in the pits of financial stress or declining health. Will the well-wishes dwindle and we forget about those still in need while we’re going through our own problems?
It says in Psalm 138:1a, “I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart.” If we say that we are grateful and thankful with our whole heart, as David states in the Psalm, our gratitude and praise should be intentional and go well beyond the warm and fuzzy moments of the holidays. I’m the first one to tell you that the holidays puts me in a uber-happy mood and disposition to do many good things. But I also cannot leave out the fact that when it’s all over, I can be inattentive and withdrawn, caught up in my daily routine.
Let’s make it a point this holiday season to let the gratitude in our hearts ring in the new year with us and stay for seasons to come. Season’s Greetings!
MamiMadness <3
