I was scrolling Instagram and stumbled on a long quote from Craig Groeschel, the lead minister of Life Church, located mostly in Oklahoma. The quote stated that "Christmas is a magnifier. If things are good in your life, Christmas tends to magnify that goodness. If you are struggling, the Christmas season can make the struggle seem more intense." (Link is here if you want to read his whole thought: https://www.instagram.com/p/C0fgs01MHGD/utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=ODhhZWM5NmIwOQ==)
I resonated with this thought.
Sunday morning, Shawn shared about the the struggle with expectations surrounding the Griswolds in the popular 1980's movie Christmas Vacation. (This is my favorite Christmas movie by the way... I've already seen it twice this season.) Clark wants so desperately to give his family the perfect "Big Old Family Christmas". But conflicts with his in-laws, conflicts with his neighbors, conflicts at work, happenstances erupt which throw a magnifying glass on those problems culminating in a memorable explosion near the end of the movie.
Unfortunately, what makes for great movie comedy makes for terrible life reality. We all want the "Hallmark" Channel Christmas movie life but we find ourselves more like the Griswolds... allowing the pressure of every day life... parenting, relationships, money, hopes, dreams... to cast everything into turmoil only to get magnified by the craziness that often surrounds Christmas. It tends to build... until someone finally erupts. While everything works out in the end for the Griswolds, most of the time it doesn't in real lives. Relationships are broken. Scars are created. Memories are ruined.
This holiday season, what is Christmas magnifying in your life? Is it magnifying the good or the areas that are struggling? Take some time this season to step back and evaluate what needs to change before something erupts...
Jim Clark