"The Beginning of Strange Days...the Origins of Christmas"...part 6

In reference to the previous article ( probably need to read "part 5" to understand where I am goin' with this), we are about to embark on a "field trip"...in late January or early February....

 So, we now return to this pub or bar we had been at on December 24th...and we see at the bar...the same man who had embraced us on December 24th...wishing us a "Merry Christmas"...with a little emotion to add to the warm embrace.
 The man has now returned to his bar stool...once again drinking away the pain, from the sorrows that he has incurred in life...the "Spirit of Christmas"...is long past.
 We then return to the house of prostitution, and see the young girl has returned to turning her tricks...to survive...for again, the "Spirit of Christmas"...is long past.
 And for those who "tolerate losers such as these", they too return to their normal activities....acting religious, talking of others in a condescending fashion (their "teeth" razor sharp once more), and others who welcome things like holding grudges, being revengeful, reacting to life jealously, making greed a top priority...all of these things are "up and working" again, for the "Spirit of Christmas"....is long past.

So, what gives? Is a "merry heart" kind of a seasonal thing?...and how does one's heart become...changed?

 First, what does the Scriptures say in regards to a merry heart? Why do we actually say the phrase..."Merry Christmas"? 

 In Proverbs 17:22, it reads: " A cheerful heart is good for your health, while focusing on the "doom and gloom" of life...leaves you bone-tired."
 And, again in Proverbs 15:13: " A cheerful heart...has the power to put a warmness within...and even a smile on our face, while a sad heart...can crush our hopes."
 Merry hearts have the power to give hope to a world...embraced in sin.  Christmas can cause us  to think: "Is this really a possibility?...a place where we give instead of take, where love is the deciding factor...instead of hate?,  where all are welcome...instead of rejected, and a place where we honor one another in both our words and our deeds?
 Why do see so many come to church on the Night of the Nativity, or on Christmas Day itself?...is it because we are all looking for this place of hope...Does such a place really exist?

 Yet...a merry heart by itself...doesn't seem to give us enough...to carry through the entire year. We need something else...something greater than just a feeling, something more than just random acts of kindness, something that will not only sustain us throughout the year but give us the power...to actually change our daily behaviors. By doing so, we are able to rise above the circumstances...and actually embrace the true meaning...of Christmas, a time when the SON returns...and finds a home in our war-torn hearts.
 So, how do we make the transition...a merry heart to a changed heart. Well, I once more return to the Sacred Scriptures and read another passage from Proverbs, Proverbs 4:20-22: " Listen to these words I am about to tell you...Don't let them get out of your sight! Instead, allow these words to...penetrate...into your very hearts. For when this is followed, that is to embrace the words of the Scriptures, and one begins to have hope in the words that are written...it is here a person becomes aware of the power...the power in the words of the Scripture, and with this power...comes the healing you need...and it extends through your entire body."

 Saint Paul reinforces this type of thought when writing to the Romans in chapter 12, verses one and two: "Here then is what I ask you to do: Take your everyday life...sleeping, eating, going to work...all the things you normally do...and give these things as an offering... to God. For you see, embracing what God says to us through the Scriptures...are the very things He will do...for us! And, this is reciprocal, for following His thoughts equip us as the very best things...we can do in honor to Him as well.  Don't allow yourself to become so adjusted in the culture you live in, that you think nothing will ever change...that it is impossible to fix any errors I have made. First, allow God to begin changing your heart and mind...in everyday life...from the inside-out! As you begin to make this your mindset, you will uncover and see for yourselves what God's Will is for your life, and will already be doing things that are good and pleasing...to Him!"

Yet, there is still one more ingredient we need...to make Christmas complete......

{Note: The Scriptures I have given in this article are in a Gleaning format.}