Christmas is all over. The gifts have been opened. The decorations put away. The New Year is here. The fireworks are spent. All the traditions of celebration are gone. Now, it’s time to get back to work. Time to put all that stuff away and get back to the grindstone.
Of course, the exact opposite is true for many. The holidays weren’t a time of great joy or celebration. You may have all sorts of family drama or for whatever reason Christmas is not very festive. Getting back to work is exactly what you have been looking forward to for those weeks while everyone else seemed to be smiling it up.
There are still others who don’t have any work to return to. You’ve been out of work so long it sounds like a fairy tale. Christmas, the gift-giving and receiving, has just been another unwelcome reminder that you don’t have a regular paycheck.
No matter what category you fall into, we can all use a good dose of perspective. What is God’s unchanging view? What is really important and how does that translate into my day-to-day activities?
What comes to mind for me is to focus on the eternal first and surrender the rest of it to God’s control. So what are those eternal things?
I have heard it said that only two things will be in heaven:
- Jesus
- People
That boils down to one word – relationships.
I want my life to be rich in relationships – both with Jesus and others. So while I am packing away the trimmings from the holidays, I am reflecting and mentally packing away the baggage that the holidays can carry. All the family drama, the resentments, hurts and disappointments – I am putting into God’s able hands and seeking His power to surrender and forgive. I am making a mental checklist of all the folks I need to mend things with. I have some awkward conversations to have and some new habits/routines to establish with my wife and kids.
What I am realizing is that the work I need to get back to won’t earn me a paycheck. I am back to work of course, trying to make ends meet. But my heart is mostly wrapped up with the work of repairing, deepening and forming relationships. My connections with Jesus my Savior and other people are the only things that will endure into eternity.
That sure puts things into perspective!