by Joanie Butman
The trees are up, and my husband’s beloved light display has gone live. This is the earliest we’ve ever gotten our decorations up and running. It seems everyone else was just as eager to commence the revelry. Many homes in town began lighting up well before Thanksgiving. And why shouldn’t we be excited to usher in a season of “peace and good will toward men.” Our world desperately needs a soul softening only God can provide. I, for one, could use a spiritual booster and celebrating Christ’s birth is just the ticket.
While my husband was busy creating his annual outdoor light extravaganza, I was busy decking the halls inside. I have an artificial tree, my Faith Tree, adorned with bows and fragile, elegant angels, bibles and other assorted Christian symbols. It’s lovely. It stands in our sun room, safely out of the fray. Even though it’s fake, it’s a little misshapen because at the end of each season, I simply wrap a bag around it and stuff it down the cellar stairs, which is equivalent to the Grinch stuffing the Who’s tree up the chimney – ornaments and all. It takes a little primping every year to reshape it and is definitely a little worse for wear, not unlike its owner.
In the kitchen, amidst all the activity, stands our ‘real’ tree, festooned with ornaments that represent our lives: the precious, perfectly imperfect, homemade ones from our children, decorations from places we’ve been, activities we enjoy and milestone markers of all sorts. It is a pictorial of some of the happiest (and even some of the unhappiest) moments in our family. Sadly, the only thing missing on the ‘real’ tree is what should be laced throughout – the faith ornaments I’d compartmentalized into their own tree – precious in its own right but even more so when integrated into our ‘real’ one.
It made me consider how I handle my faith. Do I segregate it and take it out on Sundays, polished and pristine, or is it woven into the fabric of my being, ever present in my ‘real’ life – a little beaten up and evolving from constant use, which somehow adds to its beauty? A little of both I have to reluctantly admit.
Advent is a perfect time to reflect on what Christ’s birth means to us and how we integrate Him into our daily life. The joy candle is lit today representing Christian joy that defies circumstances. One that shines brightly despite the imperfections of life and can’t be extinguished. The real joy of Christmas isn’t evoked by lights and festive trimmings. It comes through God’s gift of His Son and the salvation we receive through Him. So, if you need a spiritual joy booster, choose to spend some time in Jesus’ presence because it’s the only way to experience His presents of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. They are infinitely better than anything you'll find under the tree.
I will close with St. Paul’s blessing to the Romans:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).”