As a giver, I love the holiday season. My Christmas cards are filled out and sealed with love. My Christmas gifts to friends and family are a way to show them I care and are wrapped with the spirit of the season and ready to go. So soon, you question? Yes. Why? Because I want to be in the season and enjoy it, not feel rushed and frazzled by it. I want to spend quality time with others. My heart breaks when I hear people say they can’t wait for the holidays to be over. This truly is a special time of year, and it is made richer when we make time for each other.
Cards and gifts are expressions of love and take time. They don’t have to be expensive but let someone know you were thinking of them. One of our predominant human needs is to feel as if we matter.
We are all busy and live full lives. In fact, technological advances haven’t made our lives easier but instead more complicated, convoluted, and crazier! Yet, I make the time for those in my life. Not everyone does this, and I’ve become very aware of it recently. When people say they are just too busy to reach out, whether they intend to or not, the message received is “You are not worth my time.”
Steve and I have had a hell of a year. Words cannot express the stress, pressure, and discouragement we have been under. Yet, I don’t need a full hand to count the people who have actually called us to check in and offer some love and encouragement. True to my nature, I am still the one reaching out to them. Other than a couple of very close friends, we have been forgotten…at least that is how we feel. I’m pretty sure we aren’t alone, and something needs to change in how we live our lives.
I get it. Everyone has stuff going on, and we have all lost loved ones. We personally have lost six dear friends in the last couple of years, but if we cannot make the time for those we love when they need it most, we are failing as a humans. Despite everything going on in my life, I still reach out to others. One reason…I care and want to show it. I don’t want anyone to feel the loneliness I have felt…like they don’t matter and no one cares if they live or die.
Another reason is giving is a blessing, and I could use all the blessings I can get right now! We have been in a dark and dry season for a very long time now. We are at 11:59…holding on by our finger nails. And lastly, as a Christian, I am called to love others. Like the DC Talk song says, “Love is a verb.” Clicking a thumb’s up on social media is passive, not active. It doesn’t require anything of you.
When you know someone is hurting or struggling, please don’t wait for them to reach out to you. Depression may set in, and they feel stuck in a pit of despair. Give them a call! Texts and Emails are okay, but sometimes we need to hear each other’s voices. We were designed for connection and interaction.
The holidays can be tough for some people. Not everyone has family around or the ability to travel. For some, the holidays have difficult memories. Be sensitive to this and check in on them. I send out a ton of holiday cards and hardly get any back. I get it. Not everyone is a card giver, but at least acknowledge receipt and say “Thank you for thinking of me.” Texts are free! Shame on those who say, “I just love getting Christmas cards, but I won’t send any out.”
We’ve become all consumed by our own lives. Frankly, we are a narcissistic, self-centered society. Social media has fed the “It’s all about me, and let me tell you more about me!” mentality, and it is destroying us. We wonder why suicide numbers are up, but when we aren’t willing to make the time for those nearest to us, people are feeling lost and alone.
Jesus isn’t here on earth anymore; He rose from the dead and is up in Heaven with His Father. However, He left the gift of the Holy Spirit in each of us, and He often does His work here on earth through us. His works cannot be done if we ignore the basic of basics…loving others by making time for them.
Thanksgiving kicks off our holiday season, and I hope you will make time for people in your lives. Don’t assume someone else will reach out; be the person who makes someone’s day! And if you are like me and wonder if anyone cares, we must look up and remember Jesus died for us! Cling to His promises to love you, never leave you, and remember He walks this journey of life with you. No matter how bad things get, we can be grateful for the greatest gift of all: Jesus! I wish you a happy, healthy and blessed Thanksgiving!
Ginger Stahl says
Love your tender thoughts; it’s all about relationships!! A friend of mine seems to be going through depression. I wanted to encourage her by letting her know I read through some notes I took at one of her workshops (a few years ago), and I was inspired and wondered if she had shared her ‘lessons learned’ with other groups and even tried to get it published in a magazine. I sent the message in an e-mail yesterday, and she just responded and said she hadn’t shared that lesson since she first taught it, but will get it out and consider how it can be used again. She appreciated my thoughts, and I hope she’ll get inspired as she re-reads and then uses that message to help others. You are such an encourager, Lorraine; praying it will come back to you!