Joy to the World

Most everywhere we look there are signs of Christmas – store displays, busy shoppers, decorated houses, Santa Clause and reindeer. How many of these things actually point to the meaning of Christmas. Do we get so caught up in the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas that we fail to embrace the significance of the season? In all the preparation, do we find joy?

The call of Christmas, no matter how secular it may become, recognize the spiritual part of us; that nebulous element within that make the material part of life meaningful – or not.

Christmas is real, even from another dimension. The Christmas story points to amazing happenings in mysterious ways; something we search for in knowing and unknowing ways. Shepherds going about their regular job of guarding their sheep were frightened by a mysterious light and angels announcing the strangest news. (Luke 2:8-18)

The angels proclaimed that the Divine had entered into the earthly realm incarnated in a baby. They declared this seemingly isolated event brought great joy to the whole entire world.

Maybe we really are all connected.

The shepherds and the Magi (and us) were instructed to find the Christ child. They were not coached how to receive this tiny King; they responded as like calls to like.

The simple meaning of Christmas is reviewed and rehearsed yearly no matter how far afield the error of the age or mankind’s current understanding. Christmas embodies the soul’s longing for home and family; a place to belong no matter how far the travel or how estranged the relationship.

Christmas draws us to experience joy through the spiritual; to find God through the Christ child. We assign meaning to events and the meaning that we assign transforms our lives. Could it be that this world’s happiness/unhappiness is in harmony/disharmony with each individual’s joy?

Joy finds a life-lesson in everything whether painful or pleasant. Joy is more in the journey than in the destination. Joy is the deep down feeling of living well. Joy rises from the simple pleasures of life – having a clear conscious, living within your means, being productive, giving out and helping others.

Perhaps the exact birthday of Jesus was not recorded for posterity because the heavenly intent is for us mortals to embrace the joyous spirit of Christmas and take it into each and every day of our lives and pass it on to others.

Share your insights. mona@solutionprinciples.com