As you may recall, for the last 3 weeks there have been boxes upon boxes of Christmas decor piled high on my living room floor…
Although I came very close to just arranging them in a pyramid formation, sticking a star on top and calling it a day, I am happy to report that I actually mustered up enough time and Christmas cheer this week to finally finish decking the halls. 🎄🎄🎄
Whew. Better late than never. 🤷♀️
Last night, as I sat on the couch admiring our freshly trimmed tree, I caught my reflection in one of the shiny red ornaments — and it reminded of something I heard recently on Facebook.
Scrolling through my feed, I ran across a holiday video touting an interesting theory: it boldly claimed that the way you decorate your Christmas tree is a direct reflection of who you are.
(Considering the fact that mine was quite literally reflecting me at the moment, I couldn’t argue there might be something to this… 🤔)
The man in the video asserted that trees decorated with a hodge-podge of handmade family ornaments are a testament to people who have loving homes, while those with more perfectly coiffed trees, do NOT. 😱😱😱
Ouch! 😣
You mean we can’t have it both ways — a loving home and a beautiful tree???? 😩😩😩🎄🎄🎄
Am I the only mom out there who struggles with wanting it both ways? 😔🙋♀️
It’s a hard pill to swallow, but I get what he’s saying…and it’s about more than just a Christmas tree — it’s about the age-old struggle between self-sacrifice and self-indulgence.
Maybe having a pretty tree in and of itself isn’t wrong…but the bigger question is, when the two are at odds, which do we choose?…do we love our family or our self more?
When we choose the fancy tree OVER the family tree, our love is misplaced…and if you’re not loving the things that really matter, your tree will reflect that.
And in a way, our Christmas tree is sort of like a microcosm of our lives as well…
How I choose to “decorate” the proverbial tree of my life is a direct reflection on what matters most to me.
Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)
This year, our family ended up compromising on decorating the tree — a few fancy ornaments mixed in with handmade ornaments from the kids…and it turned out great.
But with God? There is no compromise.
You have to choose one or the other: hot or cold, God or self. There is no in-between. Jesus says if we are lukewarm, he will spew us out of His mouth. (Revelation 3:16)
We only get one tree and we only get one life — what are the “ornaments” hanging on yours? Do they reflect a love of self or a love of God?
🤔🤔🤔
Jesus Christ died atop a tree for you…and is more than deserving to live at the top of your tree as well.
Fresh cut trees don’t last forever…even the fancy ones. And Jesus is the only thing that can save you from being thrown in the fire at the end of the season.
Is Jesus the star atop the tree of your life?
I hope so, because He is the only real hope you and I have of ever being a true Evergreen.
Until next time…
-PWAP
