Finding Joy In The Alto Part of The Holidays

25 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment

by Rest Ministries in Devotionals2 Tags: Christmas, Christmas tree, chronic, Lisa Copen, Lord, rest ministries, San Diego

“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 16:26)

I was involved in a choir from grade school through my years of college. And “Carol of the Bells” was one of those songs that we performed nearly every year.

When I was younger I was a soprano.  This was an a cappella song was such fun to sing.

“Hark! How the bells
Sweet silver bells
All seem to say,
‘throw cares away.’”

And then as I got a bit older, my voice settled into the alto range. And my part on this song changed. Instead of the cheerful upbeat lyrics above I had difference lyrics: “Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong.”

During the next few days this weekend everyone around us may seem to be buzzing around getting ready for the holidays. They are picking out a Christmas tree and charging gifts to those credit cards. The commercials come on television with expensive jewelry defining real love, and a new car or a big screen TV not seeming like an unreasonable gift in the least. We can almost hear the quick beat of “Hark! How the bells!” in happy tones.

And here we sit. We feel like we’ve been assigned that “ding, dong, ding, dong,” part. We are just the foundation of the fun, but not the cheerful part.

Scripture tells us “There is a way that appears to be right. . . ” To most of the world (and certainly the retailers) the way to a person’s heart is through buying them an expensive gift. The way to show someone you love them it to go in debt for them over a gift. The way to find true happiness and fulfillment is to buy more things! We can easily think that the newest gadget will make us happy. A pretty necklace will make us feel appreciated. And the problem is. . . sometimes it does!

But in the end, it will just lead to death. We want our life to end in . . . more life!. And being the foundation–singing that “alto” part in life is God ordained.

Prayer: Lord, as the people around me buy things they cannot necessarily afford, and try to find happiness in Christmas through more stuff, keep me focused on You being the only gift I will ever need. Help me pass this on to my family and friends as well.

About the Author:
Lisa Copen is an author, speaker, and the founder of Rest Ministries which serves the chronically ill. She lives in San Diego with her husband and 8-year-old son. She is currently writing a book for Christian moms who live with chronic illness. If you are interested in sharing your stories, feedback and confessions for the book, visit her Facebook page at http://MomWithIllness.com .

You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com

What is one way you have given to others or plan to–this holiday season, instead of just being on the receiving end of gifts?