I'm a bumper sticker.

I'm just going to admit that I hate pushy Jesus bumper stickers. It's one of my top 10 flaws as a believer.
Yesterday I saw one that said "Keep Christ in Christmas" and thought "Yeah or we can keep ourselves to ourselves. Jerk bumper sticker. What are you some kind of angel? I have plenty of Christ in Christmas. And plenty of Christ in General."

To which the bumper sticker said, "You really need to step back and take a look at your thoughts. Do you really think just because they're in your head that they aren't harmful?"

I realized that hating a bumper sticker was one thing, but having a debate with it to justify my hate was whole new level of Need-to-be-in-prayer.

Here's the thing. This has been the most stressful December I think I've ever had. It keeps catching me off guard, like, WHO IS THIS GRINCH WOMAN WALKING AROUND INSIDE OF YOU, ME?!? It's only been stressful because I'm working a lot of over time at my harmless little factory job. I think it's a societal-sin to complain about being employed, but hey, sometimes we want more time than money, right? Let me just admit that I'm a whiner.
I have nothing to Grinch about. But look at me go.

[I just wish that bumper sticker hadn't been so confrontational.]

To get my head on straighter, I read about how Christ even got into Christmas in the first place... [Get it? I read the book of Matthew.]

Matthew 1:19-24

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ”The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”-- which means, “God with us.”

When Joseph awoke, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Finding out that Mary was pregnant was probably one of the most stressful Decembers that Joseph had ever had. It probably caught him off guard. If I were Joseph...I just don't know how I would be able to remain that calm. We all have our societal-sins to stress about, but have you ever had a pregnant wife that you didn't knock up? Joseph. What a stand up guy! What a man of faith! He inspires me every time I read about him. I want to have a faith like Joseph's on the night Jesus was born.

What I'm getting at is that if Joseph could keep Christ in Christmas, I can too.




Here's a little side note verse to pray on while you're in a long line at target, or when your back hurts from wrapping presents, or during any other Wonderful Things that you can't help but hate, momentarily:

Phillippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ, (you know, the one from Christmas?) Jesus.