The holidays and salvation

That title may lend itself quite well to a different type of post, but for me today, that title has to do with the season and my mood.

I am usually the kind of person that both loves the holidays and dreads the holidays. I used to hate listening to Christmas music one second before Christmas Eve. The stores and their stupid holiday displays drove me crazy, especially so early in October! The grocery store and the chaos that it is during the holiday season drove me up the wall and I avoided such areas like the plague.

This year: I am already listening to Christmas music and enjoying every minute. I went to the store today and reveled in the chaos that is the holidays. For it means a time for family and food and thanksgiving and joy and that pleases me. I was calm and not rude and stressed yesterday at the mall as I drove around looking for a parking place. I am not sure who this person is, but it can only be attributed to my new salvation. Nothing else could possibly have altered my personality so greatly!

I pray that the Lord continues to sustain me in this holiday time as we come upon holidays and anniversaries and birthdays and more parties than we generally care to attend, only because we have so many and although that should be a blessing, in years passed, we have alwasy grumbled about having to go to another party and buy another under $20 gift and make another dish. Instead, we should be thankful we have friends and family to spend this time of year with.

I know that I am. What are you thankful for this year, that you might not have been last year?