Christmas is now officially over. All the Christmas greetings by total strangers of "Merry Christmas" has stopped. Normalcy returns, For many this fabricated happiness is anything but merry. In our little "Merry Christmas cocoons" we often are unaware of the hurt and pain of many who dread this day. Expectations to live up to. Facing huge bills in 2014. Some may have experienced the hurt of a relationship ending or a death in the family. I don't mean to be "Debbie Downer" , a Saturday Night Live character, but to let you know not everyone feels jolly.
Are there days you lack "merriment" the other 364 days? Maybe you feel God does not care or hear as a certain prayer has not been answered. You CAN be merry and you can have the joy of the Lord. Satan specializes in making some Christians mad at God. He keeps them from wanting a closer relationship with Him. You may feel this way or you may have a family member who is away from the Lord having no desire for fellowship. I referred to them in early writings as "Christians in Name Only". Understand I am not saying this to judge, as only God knows the heart of man.
Websters defines merry as "giving pleasure or full or gaiety". The Bible says in Proverbs 17:22(KJV) that "a merry heart does good like a medicine but a broken spirit dries the bones.' Don't be afraid to laugh as laughter is good. Proverbs 15:13 says 'A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache rushes the spirit.'
The way you think can make you merry or gloomy as well. "As a man thinks so he is" it says in Proverbs 23:7.
So what is it going to be? Maybe a good New Years resolution should be a cheerful heart no matter what!
PRAYER: I know at times there are things that make me sad, but overall Lord I want to have a merry heart and not have to wait til Christmas to prove I am merry. Help this spirit of Christmas stay with me throughout the entire New Year. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Becky: I read somewhere that we need to laugh 15 times a day. Three of those should be belly-laughs. It helps me to chuckle or even laugh out loud. I had an extended time of sadness where I didn't find anything humorous. I appreciate the gift of laughter.
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