I’ll admit, this may seem like a rant or pet peeve, but it’s really about keeping a proper focus and not letting Satan distract us.
If I saw you and I said “Happy Holidays”; would you be offended?
If I said I was going to go shopping on Thanksgiving; what would you think?
I’ve found that people who scream the loudest about not shopping on Thanksgiving are the ones who plan their Black Friday Strategy on Thanksgiving and by stores being open earlier, it messes up their personal traditions. While complaining how everyone needs a day off, they don’t “fight” for medical professionals, emergency personnel, restaurants and other retailers who have consistently worked on Thanksgiving. I wonder why?
I do understand how some places do not want employees to say “Merry Christmas” for fear of offending customers. But if a person is insistent about “keeping Christ in Christmas” or calling a party a Christmas party in lieu of a Holiday party then from my perspective they need to focus on Christ. I once called a church event a Holiday Party on a Sunday morning and you should have seen the looks I got. I truly believe that if they had rocks they would have stoned me. Yet at this event, they song all of the Christmas favorites, Rudolph, Frosty and even talked about Santa. I remember little focus on Christ as the meaning of Christmas. Yet people insisted it be called a Christmas party, and proudly proclaimed on Facebook and elsewhere that they were keeping Christ in Christmas and saying “Merry Christmas”.
Let me simply ask….. in the big picture…. does it really matter if stores are open on Thanksgiving, or if you say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas?
I say no. I suggest that if you are living your life for Christ, people will see that, not because you’re shouting it from the mountain top, but because they see Jesus in you. I think of Jesus’ sermon on the mount as recorded in Matthew 6 where he says not to pray to be seen by men, but that we should focus on God and glorify Him. Let us do this during the holiday season. Focus on Jesus, show His love to others. When people proclaim they won’t shop on Thanksgiving, or that they will say “Merry Christmas”; it really falls on deaf ears and builds walls when we should be tearing walls down and reaching them for Jesus.
Don’t let the enemy distract you with trivia things. Keep focused on the One that matters…. Jesus!
I’m interested in hearing your thoughts, but please, this should be an open, friendly, dialogue, sharing our thoughts with respect for one another.
