Hi friends! Wow, I just absolutely cannot believe another year has almost passed. This might have been the fastest year yet in my opinion! Looking back on everything is pretty wild. Although sometimes I find it hard to look back on a year. There are so many emotions and experiences packed into 365 days before we have to restart the clock to 1 and count again. Particularly, this holiday season I’ve noticed the busy schedules. The hustle and bustle of the holidays have come to life and it’s almost as if we have completely forgotten to stop and enjoy this season. Maybe that’s why this year felt so fast. Maybe I got caught up in a busy schedule. In all the things I had to do. All the items I needed to check off the list.
Recently I’ve started to realize that the holidays can be a really tough time for some people. I have always seen the Christmas season as joyful and hopeful but for some, this season might feel lonely. The other day I was in Costco in line for the pharmacy. There was one older gentleman who had been waiting for his prescription for about an hour so the cashier called him up to the front of the line. The next older gentleman in line decided the first guy was cutting him and he moved to block him from the cashier shouting “no.” The first man was taken by surprise. The man who was accusing the other of cutting screamed at the other, “your wife’s at the end of the line, your cutting” and the first man quietly replied “I don’t have a wife anymore” and my heart dropped. The second man continued to spout rude things and I was in total shock at the mean nature of a stranger. The situation bothered me but eventually, I was called up and I left the store. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I knew nothing about those older men’s life. I didn’t know their losses or their trials. I didn’t know their wins and their hope. I didn’t know anything. And it made me realize just how important it is to treat strangers and friends alike kindly. We have no idea what happens in other lives when we aren’t around. And the way someone treats you might make or break an entire day. When you think about it like that, you realize how much power a simple smile and a Merry Christmas or a Happy Holidays hold.
I think a lot about the way Jesus talked to strangers. No one was a stranger to the Lord. Every life to him was just as important as the next. No one was above anyone else. Everyone was worthy and deserving of the same love. And I think a lot about how different things might be if we worked hard to do the same. What if we all asked the cashier how their day was going? Or if we tipped the waiter a little extra on a busy night if we could. What if we weren’t in such a rush to get from one place to the next that we got to enjoy where we were? What if we sat down with family or friends every night and talked about our days? What if we waved at the mail or trash men or women when we passed by? It’s little things like this, that sometimes amid our busy lives we forget to do. We may be strangers to each other but we are all fully known and loved by the same God.
However, I also want to acknowledge the fact that sometimes loving your neighbor is hard. Sometimes, we’re out in the world minding our own business and someone does or says something that just kind of takes us back. Sometimes we hold on to grudges or bitter feelings about burned bridges and lost relationships. And sometimes people are flat out rude and the last thought going through your brain is how can I be kind back to them. I urge us all to fight those feelings of anger and channel them into something kinder. I’m not saying you have to let someone treat you bad, but instead of engaging further with a relentless person, a simple smile and a walk in the other direction might be beneficial. It’s a mindset that takes practice because sometimes simply life and people make us mad. But we can find freedom in choosing kindness over hurt.
I hope this holiday season and the start of the New Year bring you a little time to breathe. I hope you get to hug your family and friends. I hope you remember to be grateful for the things you have and to give back where you can. I hope you wave at your neighbor or even the friend you don’t speak to anymore. I hope you smile at a friendly face in the grocery store instead of hurriedly trying to push past. I hope you take a minute to be kind to yourself. This year might have been tougher than last. I feel like I was knocked down and helped back up more times than I can count. A year of highs and lows. I hope that you find strength and love as this year closes and another begins. You are so worthy of kindness and love. I hope this new year brings you all that and more, and most of all the peace and joy you deserve.
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34
All the love always, Annie
Amen, Annie, amen.