How to Have a Merry Christmas
Did you see the study that just came out of Mayo Clinic telling us how we can overcome the stress of the holiday season and enjoy it most?Sometimes the world gets it right. This study was just raw science with a bit of pop psychology thrown in. It’s been referred to in news programs this week as a help for people to enjoy the holidays. The findings are being published by Amit Sood, a stress-reduction expert and author of a new book, The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living, coming out the first of the year.Besides his recommendations on dealing with stress (see my blog from Wednesday) he says that the following attitudes will give you stress-free enjoyment over the holidays:
- Gratitude
- Compassion
- Acceptance
- Higher meaning
- Forgiveness
Before putting all that money into research, I wish he would have called me –ha!. Not that I’m so smart, of course, but I could have told him that all of these attitudes are the things Christians are told in the Scriptures to reflect.When you express gratitude often and sincerely, it makes you happy. it actually changes the chemistry in the brain. So before going on Prozac, try saying thank you… a lot.When you practice compassion, it forces you outside of yourself and away from your troubles.Acceptance of what comes in life is just a matter of trusting in the sovereignty of God and letting go of the need to control.When it comes to higher meaning, I haven’t read the details of the study yet, but I’ll bet they found that those who "Keep Christ in Christmas" enjoy the holiday more because it’s not just an empty and temporary celebration to them that is focused on self and shopping and a whirlwind of activity. We know what we are celebrating!And when it comes to forgiveness, that’s foundational to our Christian faith. We are Christian because we are forgiven and we are required by our Savior to let go of offenses and forgive the way he forgave us. When we do that, the choke-hold of resentment is released and life can take on the meaning God intended us to enjoy when he created us.I’m not telling you to not bother reading the book. But there is a collection of books that have been teaching these principles for thousands of years. Study the Bible! It’s full of practical material that works for life.It can even help you have a merry Christmas.