Over the years of living away from my parents, I have hesitated to put effort into decorating for Christmas. I believe this has been the case because I feel like I am waiting for the day when I can really decorate a home for myself, my husband, and my children. I see these as being the desired circumstances in which I will be able to have the space needed to decorate, the money needed to purchase a substantial amount of beautiful decorations, and people living with me who will get to enjoy looking at the decorations. That ideal Christmas I am envisioning is not here today. I am single and have no children. Without having those prerequisites met, I think the perfectionist in me has decided that it is not worth the effort to decorate my home as this holiday approaches.
Yesterday, however, I decided to go ahead and purchase a small number of Christmas decorations to adorn my 400 square foot studio apartment for this year's holiday season. As I placed shopping bags filled with decorations in the backseat of my car, I had a somewhat depressing thought about how the meager (from my perspective) amount of decorations I had purchased would create only an approximation of the way I hope to decorate a home someday for Christmas.
However, in that moment, it also occurred to me that regardless of the extent to which we decorate or celebrate Christmas here on earth, our Christmas celebration will always be an approximation of the ultimate celebration that we will experience in heaven someday.
That heavenly celebration will be glorious. We will join with all believers to praise and worship our great God. Those of us who know the Lord can look forward to that time with great excitement and anticipation.
But, for now, no matter how wonderful our experience celebrating Christmas, with decorations, parties, and presents, things are not going to ever make for an ideal celebration. We still live in a fallen world where the effects of sin run rampant throughout our day to day lives. Sickness, pain, broken relationships, troubles. Things are never going to be quite right here until the Lord returns.
As I sit here in my little apartment, staring at my 2 foot tall, pre-lighted, artificial Christmas tree, my view of the meager Christmas decorations adorning my home has changed. Instead of them bringing me discouragement that I am not celebrating Christmas the way I think would be most ideal, I am choosing to look at the meager decorations around me as a reminder. A reminder, that all of the beautiful Christmas decorations in the world would still create only a scant approximation of the grand celebration of our Lord that is approaching. And, with that knowledge, I can appreciate my Christmas decorations today for what they are and look forward to that grand celebration with a heart that is thankful, joyful, and excited about what will one day be.
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