Post Christmas Blues

Every year after Christmas it was the same thing. I got the post-Christmas blues. It wasn't that I didn't get what I wanted. The presents I received were great, everything I could hope for. It wasn't that my family didn't meet my expectations, we spent wonderful time together. For some unexplainable reason, I got the blues.

Then I realized why. I was looking for "something" in Christmas to make me happy, to fill me up and to give me joy. And that is the danger of Christmas celebrations, and why so many people get depressed during the holidays. Because we are celebrating a day or even a "season," instead of a person, the person of Jesus Christ.

When I go to your birthday party, I don't expect it to make me happy.  I'm there to make you happy. It's your birthday, and I'm celebrating you. And so it is with Christmas, Jesus' birthday. We should be celebrating it to make him happy, not us. Yet, somewhere along the way, we lose our direction, and find ourselves looking inward, instead of upward.

It isn't about the presents. It's about His presence. It isn't about our relationship with family members. It's about our relationship with Jesus. It isn't about us having peace. It's about us having the Prince of Peace, Immanuel - God with us.  It was never about focusing on us. It was always about focusing on Him.

If you're feeling the post-Christmas blues this year, I invite you to look to Jesus. Not to make you feel better about you. It's not about how we feel. It's about who we are in Christ:  Forgiven. Redeemed. Renewed. When we focus on those things, we can't help but feel the joy and peace that was lost in the wrapping paper; and found in the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and the man He grew up to be.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. 
I do not give to you as the world gives. 
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." 
John 14:27

Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com