Love, honor and delight in each other

“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” (Rom. 12:10)

Don’t become distracted

It’s easy to get caught up in holiday preparations and distracted from the reason for the season, which is, of course, Jesus. There’s an example of this happening in Scripture. Two sisters, Mary and Martha, had Jesus and His disciples visit their home. One of the sisters, Mary, was focused only on Jesus and sat at His feet as He spoke. And the other sister, Martha, was distracted by the meal preparation and became irritated that Mary wasn’t helping her. Martha then complained about it to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me” (Luke 10:40). He said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42). 

Martha wasn’t doing anything wrong, actually. She was just working to get food preparation done. But the better thing, as Jesus pointed out, was to focus on Him. If she had done that, she wouldn’t have been stressed out. Similarly, learning to focus on what is most important during the holiday season, and prioritizing your time, accordingly, will remove much stress.

The most important things

Make it your goal to put Jesus first during the Christmas season (see Matthew 6:33 for another wonderful promise). And use the Christmas season as an opportunity to focus genuinely on loving and honoring each other (see the verse at top). You will enjoy the season so much more!