I literally cannot believe I am home already for the Holidays. Where has this year gone?? I started out 2017 going into my second year of college, taking on some new leadership roles, and pushing myself to take my writing to the next level; and now, I am excitingly studying abroad during Spring semester of 2018.
I personally feel this past year has been a year of personal growth, discovering my true relationship with Jesus, and learning how to stand my own ground as a woman in life progress.
I have been trying to take in this past semester and really enjoy the little things, but it can be hard. When thinking about the word "Joy," I really had a hard time getting a grasp on the word.
Everyone has a different meaning and definition of it.
To start, everyone has a different meaning of joy. There are families all around us that do not know the true meaning of Christmas. They celebrate their family and children by giving them the newest and shiniest toys, the top brands that everyone in school wants, or the hottest car.
I can't lie to you that getting gifts is so fun, and I know we all love it. But when it comes down to it...is that really what we look forward to all year? That joy? We sit and research to come up with the best Christmas lists around. We need the most expensive, beautiful gifts to fulfill our hearts.
Or, how about the families that cannot afford gifts and presents at all? They celebrate by sharing a meal, asking how each others' days have been, and trying to give their children the gift of love. How can that be the same feeling of joy that the other side of the world does differently? Do the children that don't receive gifts have a different viewing and feeling of the word joy?
What about the families who celebrate Christ? They spend the night of Christmas Eve at a mass and sing the word of God. They find joy in knowing that someone with a higher power loves them unconditionally.
Each way of celebrating this Holiday is done differently. Is there a right and a wrong? No. But I am here to encourage both myself and anyone who has continued to read this to find a more general meaning of joy and teach that meaning to anyone who wants to listen and feel the way you do.
Around this time, I want to feel unconditional love from Christ, my family, and our neighbors, and also see the want and need to help others. Sound cheesy?
Of course, it does, because it is hard to make happen. We spend the entire month of December madly shopping to please one another. It can be frustrating having to plan meals to see family that you only see during this time of year.
I am encouraging us all to take a step back and see the true meaning of Christmas, and maybe that will help us celebrate and see the joy in this world.