Christ in you

“In a thousand different ways, people join together every year to celebrate Christmas with their own unique customs and traditions. people  recreated them with his own unique style. Each melody contains history and meaning that has endured for centuries.”

the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 

The truth of the Bible is clear: Beyond forgiveness lies the upward call of God, that Christ will be formed in you and life through you, that you can be renewed, holy & perfect.

Never does the Bible permit us simply to sit Christ on a throne to watch & worship. His life must become our life. Through baptism we are to be united with Him (Romans 6 & 7); We must carry our crosses so that our ego can be slain with Him. Then we will be empowered to be raised with Him to the new life in the Spirit. Eventually, we can say with Paul (a one-time murderer), “It is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me”(!) (Galatians 2:20)

A Values Based Christmas.
The momentum towards the Christmas holiday season has picked up. Whether or not you celebrate in a traditional way, it’s hard to avoid the external stimulation that is designed to influence your experience of Christmas.

When children are very young we have an incredible opportunity to teach them values that they can live by for the rest of their lives. Values are the underlying codes we set our life compass by, the beliefs that we hold to be true and right. We might have a value of being generous, compassionate and responsible. Or maybe a value of honesty, service, peace or even environmental or social sensitivity. Whatever our values and despite what we might hear in the media, holidays such as Christmas are not an excuse to abandon what we strongly believe in.

As a parent, we are always teaching our children. They watch what we do, hear what we say and feel what we are feeling. This time of year is no different and yet it can be the time when we teach our children that compromising our values is okay. For example, if we have a personal commitment to eating healthy it might seem strange to a child to see us overindulging with “bad” foods. Likewise, if we stick to a budget all year long and then go into debt for Christmas our kids may wonder why the rules have changed.

From both of these examples a child might surmise that special occasions are a good reason to overeat or overspend. Maybe that’s what you learned, have always done and just assumed was “normal”. There is a pervasive belief that we are denying ourselves and our children pleasure if we don’t follow the crowd, do what “everybody else is doing”, give them what they want or what we never had, buy the most popular toys or behave in ways that are only associated with excess. What we don’t realize is that every time we choose something that is in conflict with our values we question our own integrity and chip away at our self-esteem. And … as parents, we model self-destructive behaviours and attitudes for our children.

The balancing act for parents is knowing when we bump up against our own internal limits. When you get the feeling you are going overboard, you probably are. When you buy something you don’t really want your child to have but are afraid to displease them, you deny your internal guidance. When you act irresponsibly under the influence of alcohol you condone behaviour that you might otherwise deem inappropriate.

As the holidays approach, this is the time to ask yourself if you are doing what feels right or what you feel you “should” do. Are you giving in to the pull of advertising, family and friends and even the unrelenting demands of your children? What core values do you fiercely protect that you might find yourself tampering with during the holidays?

It all comes down to choices. Sometimes a little flexibility is in order. Other times it’s our way of excusing our lack of commitment to the things that are really important to us. How you honour your values under the weight of holidays is a powerful way to model integrity for your children. If you are not sure what values you’ll be teaching your children this Christmas, call Daryl for a complimentary coaching session. You might be starting a new tradition that you and your children will appreciate in years to come.