12 Ways To Keep Spiritually Strong Over Christmas Break, Pt. 1
by on Dec 7th, 2009 at 12:01 am
Yeah, so last week, I promised to write about the difference between legalism and discipline only to leave you in silence. I came down with a strong illness that had me bed-ridden for a couple of days so I had to discipline myself to rest instead of pushing through the process of writing and doing other projects. If you will forgive me, I want to put that initial project on hold for a week in order to get to something that I had planned for this week a long time ago.
Because the largest demographic of readers of this site is composed of college students, I wanted to offer some words of encouragement and advice about your upcoming Christmas break, which I’m sure you are more than ready to experience. The thought of three or four weeks of freedom from school is a wonderful luxury that you will get only a few times in your life so I would not be surprised if most of you are thrilled for it to arrive. However, there are others who do not view such a break with such enthusiasm. They are concerned for what it can do to their spiritual condition or for what challenges wait for them as they return to difficult situations at home or church.
Every January, without fail, I have dozens of men who return to campus fired up and excited to be back in such a spiritually stimulating environment because their time at home proved to be a huge step backward in their relationship with God and their struggle against habitual sin. I experienced this as a student when I left a Christian bubble for the “real world.” My college friends often found January to be a release from a time of spiritual struggle at home, and when you think about it, we should not be surprised that Christmas break can ironically be a spiritually destructive time for college students.
You might have heard the axiom that it takes 33 days to form a habit. Well, Christmas breaks tend to be three to four weeks (21-28 days), and that is more than enough time for us to develop spiritually unhealthy patterns. Furthermore, these days are rhythmically different. We do not have the routine stresses of college life keeping us busy. If we do not find work or activities during this time, the days of rest turn into weeks of boredom, and that is more than enough time to become spiritually lethargic, distracted, or destructive.
For the next three days, I want to offer you at least 12 different suggestions that I have personally utilized and can testify that they will help you maintain focus, joy, and consistency in your walk with Christ as you step into a violent change of pace for several weeks. You might not be able to utilize all twelve. Some of you might not even find all of them relevant given your particular situation, and that is fine. What I hope is that you will be able to latch on to one or two of them and utilize them in such a way that you are able to do more than just endure break, but spiritually thrive.
Suggestion #1 - Get a Job
Going to work sounds like the absolute worst way to enjoy Christmas break, but God has hardwired men to crave being useful, and three to four weeks of downtime will be awfully painful without any type of activity or goal-setting. Even though the economy is not job-friendly, the holiday season offers many short-term employment options and if you can find one, don’t hesitate to take advantage of it.
Work is good for your body, mind, and soul, even if that work doesn’t pay great or bring you any kind of promotion. First, work provides structure and routine, which makes you value your time and instills discipline. Second, time spent being productive eliminates time spent alone without any plans, and I can almost bet with 100% certainty that more sin is committed when we are isolated without plans than at any other time. Like I said earlier, God made us to be active and our spirits will be more vibrant and receptive to enjoy Him as we work.
Now, I might sound like a hypocrite because my job ends during Christmas break, so you might think that I should go and get a part-time job as well. I’m going to employ one of my other suggestions for this break, but just so you know that I don’t ask of you what I wouldn’t do myself, you should know that I worked as a janitor for every single Christmas break as a college student. Believe it or not, cleaning muddy halls, messy lunch tables, and sick kids’ vomit was good for me, and I’d do it again if I was a student.
Suggestion #2 - Look for Ways to Serve Others
Perhaps you have the luxury of not having to work to earn money for the next semester, or perhaps the economy is too brutal for you to find employment in your community. I would then suggest that you make up your own job, one that is centered on finding ways to serve neighbors and people in your community. Christmas break, for those of us who live north of the snow line, can bring with it opportunities to shovel driveways for elderly neighbors or warm cars for family. Even without snowy weather, we can all find people who are without company or supplies during the holidays and we can offer our own time to befriend them, listen to them, or serve meals. The possibilities are too numerous to write here, but the point is that the opportunities we need are all around us and we can easily begin praying and asking God to draw us to those who could use the loving acts and friendship of His people during this time.
Try making Christmas break about more than yourself and see if God doesn’t strengthen your soul!
Suggestion #3 - Get "Employed" by Your Pastor
Having served as a youth and children’s pastor, I can verify that December can be one of the craziest, most stressful, and most frustrating months of the year for pastors. There are programs to run, meetings to attend, Sundays to plan, families to visit, and many of the church’s core members are not available because they are taking their “Christmas Break.”
You might have to risk rejection, but consider approaching your pastor and offering your time and energy to help the church for the next couple of weeks, and see if your pastor doesn’t pass out or kiss your forehead! You may end up taking care of custodial chores or tedious administrative tasks, but in whatever capacity you serve, the church as a whole benefits and you will have time to minister to the leadership in your church.
Make a deal with them. Offer to serve in exchange for sharing lunch time with them or the other pastoral staff. I’m not talking about asking for free lunch.
I’m talking about sitting down for thirty or sixty minutes and eating in fellowship with other men of God. Then, soak up the conversation, observe their hearts and minds, ask questions, and you can experience spiritual growth by being near mature men.
You do not have to labor exhaustively if you utilized any of these suggestions, but you would create a situation in which you are able to recharge your batteries and prevent becoming lazy or stuck in a spiral of spiritual stagnation.