It all goes back in the box.



  Christmas is over...

      So much time and energy went into plans and preparations for a day that went by so quickly I can hardly believe it's over. Now it all goes back in the box. Well, there's a lot more than one box, but you know what I mean...Christmas is packed away and taken to a shelf in the garage or closed away in the attic to rest quietly for eleven months, until it can come out again.

      Twinkling stars and tinsel, glitter bulbs and silver bells, are tucked away with their tinkle and shine hidden by tissue paper and cardboard. Gingerbread boys, snowmen, and angels, keep each other company in the dark, as dry dead trees are taken down and drug to burn piles where they receive their honorable burial ceremonies, leaving trails of needles to follow back to the houses. In my case, the artificial tree was taken apart and shoved into a huge box, taped up and hoisted into the attic.

      As I put my last box away and the house is set back to "ordinary," it seems quieter than usual, and a little sad. I'm not sure which is heavier, the boxes or this feeling inside me. It's that let-down feeling you get when you've been excited and anxiously planning a special event or celebration...and then it's over...just like that! It came, it went, and took the cookies and chocolates  with it.

      Life has temporarily lost its sparkle and sweetness, the house mourns the loss of its luster, and I weigh five pounds more than I did in November (thanks to the cookies and chocolates). I'm tempted to pull down the shades and go to bed in the middle of the day, to tuck myself away in the dark room the same way I tucked away the wrappings of Christmas. But if I did, I know it wouldn't be long before I would be awakened by the knowledge that the true meaning of Christmas can never be packed away in a box.

      The light of the knowledge of the glory of God which was revealed in the face of His Son, Jesus Christ, can never be hidden in the dark. Those words He spoke - "I am the light of the world" would illuminate the room and wake me up. I'm sure He would remind me that the sparkle and glitter I boxed up with the decorations can't hold a candle to the light shining brightly from His Spirit within me, and that the best celebration is the one that takes place every day of my life, as I take hold of the gift He sent on that very first Christmas morning...His Son - the Prince of Peace. Christ's birth is a celebration without end, and accepting His gift is just the beginning of life forever with Him.

      The memory of that promise seems to brighten the house, causes the sun to shine warmer on the frosted roof, and makes my heavy heart lighter. I can imagine the heavenly anthems ringing around the throne of the King of Kings; His voice calling to me - "Let the dancing begin!" as I'm reminded that life with Him is the celebration. It's never packed up or stored away; it is a life lived outside the box.

A different celebration, a long time ago...

      On the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, when the celebration was coming to an end, and the lights were being taken down, Jesus said these words - 
"I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  (John 8:12)