Christmas Perspective
Posted on Dec 12, 2023 by Laura Cooper
We are in the middle of the Christmas season. Everything is rushed and busy. There are so many things to do.
The holiday season also finds us helping those in need more than any other time of the year. We adopt families, provide meals, purchase Christmas gifts, and give our time to people during the holiday season.
The holidays can tend to be very lonely for many people. It is a time to reflect on memories and loved ones who are no longer with us. It can be very painful to go to stores and see everyone so happy when you are suffering inside.
Although we focus on this time of the year the most, we should remember that people in need always need our help. They need the same resources in June that they need in December — food, clothing, shelter, and assistance to combat loneliness.
It is easy to take life for granted if we have these comforts. We become stressed over the holidays if things are not quite how we want them to be. We might argue over a grandmother’s recipe that wasn’t quite sweet enough, or maybe some family members start arguing over politics, which is one of those subjects that is off limits at the dinner table. Whatever it is, we forget to be thankful that we have food on the table and our loved ones beside us.
We need to remember to celebrate Christmas for what it stands for — the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We should be looking outward to see what type of help, joy, and comfort that we can bring to others that will in turn bring us happiness. Shifting the perspective from ourselves to Him is reason alone to have hope and joy this season.
Laura Cooper
Salem Office Administrator