Blog

Well, it’s official, now that November is nearly here and the sun is quickly rising on the holidays. But are anxieties rising within you too? Maybe you’re remembering a few holidays from the past that were not so bright or cheerful and you’re wondering if things will turn sour again this year. Or maybe, as you glance at the smiling faces in a few family photos and postcards, you have a romantic picture in your mind about how wonderful they all were. 

No matter how wonderful a family may be in the snapshots of our hearts and minds, none of them are perfect. And no matter how hard you may try to make things joyful, the variety of different personalities and perspectives can sometimes bring a collision of tensions when everyone comes together. 

In my book Fresh Eyes: Seeing God in the Unexpected, I wrote about this very topic in a chapter entitled “Unexpected Holiday Perspectives.” I begin by telling a story related to the 4^th of July and how we had the awesome thrill of seeing fireworks from the perspective of an airplane. That heavenly view had me considering: “We all like to celebrate and some of us look for the smallest reason to throw a party.” 

I wonder, though, how much of what we do for holiday celebrations like the 4^th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, etc., actually expresses, or produces appreciation and reverence for their true meaning?” Take, for instance, Thanksgiving. Shouldn’t our main focus be on giving thanks?

As that holiday chapter in my book continues into a particular Thanksgiving celebration, my own vision for what’s important gets a fresh adjustment. Recalling how I’d tried so hard to make everything perfect that year, you read about how all kinds of grinches had seemingly worked against that happening. It begins when a beautiful glass goblet is smashed to pieces as someone attempts to adjust the table size with another leaf. “It’s just a glass and more importantly your guests will be much more comfortable now that we’ve added the other table leaf.” My son tried to put things back into a good perspective that day. 

Of course, I knew he was right. But this minor foible seemed perfectly timed by the same grinch who had stalked us for more than a month. The shattering sound of the breaking glass might just as well have been a clanging bell signaling the end of round 6 and the start of another in this boxing match of disappointments and changes to our holiday celebration. I had surmised. You see that Thanksgiving wasn’t like all the others. That year my husband and I were also celebrating our 45^th wedding anniversary. Yet as hard as we had tried, everything we’d planned had been changed several times.  

The story continues with disappointing detail after detail that occurred that year, including a planned anniversary vacation that got unexpectedly canceled. But as it wraps up, you’ll also read about the unexpected fruit and fresh perspective that happens as a result— the fruit that comes from gratefulness. It’s a lesson my Lord continues to drive home every time things go wrong, or trouble comes my way. 

Philippians 4:4-7 says: “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all…Do not be anxious for anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

So, regardless of your intentions this holiday season, as you make plans for the upcoming celebrations, I hope and pray that we can all approach things with fresh eyes and grateful hearts. And when we do, no matter how it may go, I’m certain that thankfulness will allow us to find joy and purposeful meaning in them. 

If you’d like to read the entire holiday story mentioned here as well as a poem and lots of other true stories of inspiration, go to “Books” on this website to order your copy of Fresh Eyes: Seeing God in the Unexpected at: www.iriscarignan.com  I’d love to hear what you are grateful for this year too, so leave a comment here if you’d like. 

#fresheyesbook #holidaycelebration #gratefulness #thanksgiving #unexpectedtrials #poetry #inspirational #holidayseason #holidayperspectives #inspirationalbooks