‘Tis the Season

The theme for a meeting I attended recently was ‘Tis the Season.

Those words come from  Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly, a Christmas carol written in 1881. However, the phrase ‘Tis the Season didn’t begin appearing in magazines and newspapers until the 1970s.  Now, that phrase is used throughout the year, as in ‘Tis the season for spring cleaning. Or ‘Tis the season for flu and strep throat.”     

Thankfully, ‘Tis the Season is most often used to draw attention to the Christmas season. By filling in the blank following ‘Tis the season______, we can mention whichever aspects we enjoy. For example, ‘Tis the season for giving. ‘Tis the season for decorating. ‘Tis the season for enjoying Christmas lights and music.

But amid all the things we enjoy about the Christmas Season (or the Holiday Season, as many prefer to call it), have we lost sight of the real reason for the Christmas season? Have we gotten so busy with all the shopping and the decorating and the baking and the partying and the singing and such that we have forgotten that Christmas is the time set aside to celebrate the birth of Jesus? Are we so busy that we forget to think of Him, much less talk with others about Him?

A friend of mine has not forgotten Jesus. When she and I talked recently, she told me how thrilled she is to have purchased a manger scene to display inside her home. Why? She knows that when her four-year-old granddaughter visits, the child will ask about the odd-looking components. Then, my friend will tell her granddaughter as much as her young mind can absorb. 

My friend seeks ways to tell her granddaughter (and others) about Jesus. She wants to make sure the child knows about the gift of God’s Son. Therefore, she talks about Jesus in hope that one future day her beloved granddaughter will choose to receive Jesus and invite Him to be her Lord, as well as Savior.

May this current season be the season you and I also love the Lord Jesus and look for opportunities to tell others about Him. Moreover, may we realize that every season is the perfect season to do that. No matter what month it is, may we understand that the present time—whatever the season—is a wonderful time to say, “‘Tis the season to experience awe and joy, to give generously, to praise God for all that He is, and to thank Him for all His amazing gifts, especially the gift of His Son.”

On the Way!

An online merchant sends me a notification that my order has been shipped. In most cases, I also receive a link I can use to track the package. On the day the order is to arrive, I receive another notification that the item is out for delivery.

I like having access to that information. Once I know the item is on its way, my anticipation builds. And when I receive an “out for delivery” notification, I listen for the noise of the delivery truck. I go to the door and thank the delivery person. If I’ve been away from home on delivery day, upon my return, I check the front and side entrances to the house (or the mailbox) to see if the package was delivered.

This morning, I received an “out for delivery” notification. [See photo.] I clicked the link to the tracking information. As I looked at it, I realized afresh that while I’d worked at my tasks and while I’d slept, people had been working day and night to get the item to me. Other people had been involved in the manufacturing and marketing processes before it could be shipped and sent to me. A virtual army of people had been used to provide the item I wanted.

Realizing that so much goes on behind the scenes reminds me to wait patiently for God to act. He knows, even though I don’t, what’s going on and when and how and through whom His answers to prayers will come. And, oh, the joy when His gift arrives.