FINDING JOY WHEN CHRISTMAS HAS NO CHEER

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MANY PEOPLE FIND NO JOY IN CHRISTMAS. INSTEAD OF BEING THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR, FOR MANY PEOPLE CHRISTMAS IS THE WORST TIME. MORE PEOPLE GET MORE DEPRESSED AT CHRISTMAS THAN AT ANY OTHER TIME.

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ON CHRISTMAS, MANY PEOPLE ARE LEFT ALONE... BURDENED WITH WORRIES AND CARES...WEIGHTED DOWN WITH PROBLEMS THAT WON'T GO AWAY... HOW DO WE FIND JOY IN A DAY OF REMINDERS ABOUT HOW THERE IS NO JOY AND NO CHEER IN US.

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HERE IS A LIST OF THINGS TO DO THIS CHRISTMAS IF THIS CHRISTMAS HAS NO JOY OR CHEER IN IT FOR YOU.

GO WHERE PEOPLE NEED YOU AND WHERE THEY APPRECIATE YOU.WHAT YOU HAVE TO GIVE AWAY NEEDS TO BE RECEIVED. IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE NOTHING TO GIVE AWAY THEN DO SOME INVENTORY AND FIND SOMETHING WITHIN YOURSELF TO GIVE.

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DON'T BE "IN THE WAY"

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EACH CHRISTMAS HAS ITS OWN JOY IF YOU LET THE JOY TOUCH YOU. EVERY CHRISTMAS A DIFFERENT. NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU MIGHT WANT TO GO BACK TO THE CHRISTMASES OF YESTERDAY, FIND THE UNIQUE JOY OF THIS CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR.

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EACH CHRISTMAS IS DIFFERENT FROM ALL THE REST. THIS CHRISTMAS IS NOT THE ONE OF LONG AGO. THE JOYS OF THIS CHRISTMAS MAY BE IN VERY DIFFERENT PLACES THAN THEY WERE JUST A YEAR AGO.

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THERE IS JOY IN EVERY CHRISTMAS. HOWEVER, YOU MAY HAVE TO LOOK FOR IT. PRESENTS HAVE TO BE UNWRAPPED. CANDY HAS TO BE EATEN, TO BE ENJOYED. THIS CHRISTMAS, UNWRAP THE INVISIBLE PRESENTS GOD HAS GIVEN YOU THIS YEAR.

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ACTIVELY LOOK FOR AND FINDING THE JOY OF CHRISTMAS IS  SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO DO BECAUSE THE JOY WON'T FIND YOU.  YOU HAVE TO GO TO WHERE THE JOY IS BECAUSE THE JOY WON'T COME TO YOU.

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GIVE AWAY ALL THAT YOU ARE. GIVE AWAY YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR, YOUR TIME, YOUR ATTENTION, YOUR CARING, AND YOUR LOVE. THEN YOU WILL FIND THE JOY. FIND IT IN THE EYES OF SOMEONE YOU VISIT. FIND IT FOR SOMEONE YOU CARE FOR.

FINDING THE JOY WON'T COST ANYTHING EXCEPT A FEW PENNIES OF GASOLINE MONEY TO GET YOU IN FRONT OF PEOPLE WHO NEED YOU.

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DON'T TELL OTHERS ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS. INSTEAD, LISTEN TO THEIRS. YOUR ATTENTION TO THEM IS A WONDERFUL GIFT.

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INSTEAD OF EXPECTING TO GET SOMETHING THIS CHRISTMAS,
EXPECT TO GIVE SOMETHING. DON'T EXPECT ANYTHING AND YOU'LL FIND EVERYTHING. UNFORTUNATELY, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE A SECRET CHRISTMAS LIST OF THINGS THEY WANT. THESE PEOPLE WILL NEVER GET ENOUGH, NOT MATTER HOW MUCH THEY RECEIVE. SOMETIMES THE MORE YOU EXPECT THE LESS YOU GET. THE MORE YOU HOLD OUT YOUR HAND EXPECTING OTHERS TO DO FOR YOU THE MORE MISERABLE YOU BECOME. KEEP YOUR ATTENTION OFF YOURSELF AND ON OTHERS. WHEN YOU DO THE BLESSINGS COME POURING IN...INTO YOUR HEART.

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COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, IF YOU CAN COUNT THAT HIGH.

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DON'T TRY TO HARD. YOU CAN ONLY LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIME SO LIVE EACH MINUTE FOR ALL ITS WORTH. LET THE BABY JESUS TOUCH YOU IN HIS OWN WAY. DON'T TRY TO FORCE YOURSELF INTO HAVING A GOOD TIME..YOU END UP MISERABLE.

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SPEND TIME IN WORSHIP. SPEND LOTS OF TIME IN WORSHIP OF JESUS. LINGER FOR AWHILE AT THE MANGER SCENE. THINK ABOUT HOW THE ANGELS MUST HAVE BEEN SINGING. MEDITATE ON HOW THEY MIGHT HAVE FELT ON THAT FIRST CHRISTMAS.

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PRAY ABOUT THE MEANING OF THE NEW BIRTH. EVERY DAY CAN BE A NEW BIRTH FOR YOU. EVERY DAY CAN BE A DAY OF NEW BEGINNINGS.

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GIVE LOVE AWAY, GIVE LOVE AWAY, GIVE LOVE AWAY AND  PARTICIPATE IN THE GIVING AT NURSING HOMES, HOSPITALS,  WITH THE HOMEBOUND, WITH PEOPLE THAT ARE LONELY, WITH PEOPLE THAT ARE FRIGHTENED, WITH PEOPLE IN INSTITUTIONS.

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REMEMBER THAT IT IS O.K. TO SHARE IN THE LOVE YOU GIVE AWAY BECAUSE YOU NEED IT

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GET UP AND GET MOVING. PHYSICALLY MOVE, IF YOU CAN. TELEPHONE PEOPLE. KEEP BUSY WITH ERRANDS, COOKIES, LITTLE THINGS YOU ARE DOING FOR SOMEONE ELSE.

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START TO MAKE NEW MEMORIES, OR START NEW TRADITIONS. MAKE SURE OTHERS UNDERSTAND THE PAST.

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KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE BABY. THE BABY WILL BRING THE JOY. DO WHAT THE BABY DID. BRING JOY TO SOMEONE ELSE.

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WHEN CHRISTMAS IS DIFFICULT...CUDDLE THE LITTLE BABY AND HOLD HIM FAST. FOR HE NEEDS YOU. HE NEVER CHANGED, FOR WHEN HE WAS A MAN HE STILL HAD...THE SAME INNOCENCE. THE SAME EYES. THE SAME LOVE. HE STILL NEEDS YOUR LOVE TODAY.

WHEN YOU LOVE HIM, HE LOVES YOU BACK.

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WHEN CHRISTMAS IS NOT WHAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE,  LATE AT NIGHT, WHEN EVERYTHING IS QUIET, AND YOU ARE ALONE...TAKE THE BABY JESUS IN YOUR ARMS AND ROCK HIM TO SLEEP. LOOK INTO HIS LITTLE BROWN EYES, WATCH THE LITTLE SMILE. FEEL THE TINY LITTLE HANDS CLUTCHING YOUR FINGERS,  AND FEEL THE SQUIRMING OF HIS LITTLE LEGS. EVEN WHEN HE WAS  A BABY HE WAS STILL THE LORD OF THE EARTH. EVEN WHEN HE WAS  A BABY HE NEEDED THE LOVE AND CARING AND WARMTH OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU.

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WHEN YOU HOLD HIM IN YOUR HEART, THAT IS A REAL CHRISTMAS... JUST YOU, ON YOUR KNEES, PLACING HIM IN THE HAY. JUST YOU, WHO BRING HIM YOUR LOVE, FROM A PLACE FAR AWAY. JUST YOU, ON YOUR KNEES, GAZING INTO THOSE LITTLE EYES. JUST YOU, STARING UP, INTO THE STAR IN THE SKIES.

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ON CHRISTMAS, EACH OF US, REGARDLESS OF OUR CIRCUMSTANCES, IS CALLED TO LOVE AND CARE FOR THE BABY JESUS. DO NOT LET YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES SO OVERWHELM YOU THAT YOU CANNOT LET THE BABY INTO YOUR HEART.

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THERE IS A POEM ABOUT THE KEEPER OF THE INN WHO TURNED MARY AND JOSEPH AWAY. MAYBE THIS MAN HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS YOU ARE HAVING, MAYBE HIS HEART WAS HEAVY WITH CARES, WORRIES, AND BURDENS, LET EACH OF US PONDER HIS WORDS:

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"OH, IF ONLY I HAND KNOWN!"

SAID THE KEEPER OF THE INN.

"BUT NO HINT TO ME WAS SHOWN

AND I DIDN'T LET THEM IN.

THE KNOCK ON MY DOOR WAS LATE,

MY JOYS AND BLESSINGS NUMBERED FEW,

SINCE MY TROUBLES WERE SO GREAT