It was the Year of 16 Christmas Parties. Yes...16! Every adult Sunday School class in our church was having a party and had invited the entire staff to attend each one. In their minds, they were honoring us. But they also had expectations. Expectations for us to attend—because they firmly told us so. They were just as sure that we would bring life and fun to their party by coming. We probably did—to the first two or three parties. But all we brought to the other 13 was exhaustion. By the end, we had dazed looks and could only implore, “Is Christmas over yet??”
We were young and didn’t have the sense to know that we could set Christmas boundaries—or make the breathtaking suggestion that we combine all 16 classes to have ONE GRAND adult Christmas party! But believe me when I say that it was a Christmas experience we won’t soon forget—and one which taught us much. We learned to say “no” in as kind a way as possible. We learned to lead our church in putting their focus on Jesus during December. We seriously understood the value of fellowship, but learned to encourage it in a healthy way. We learned that expectations kill. And we learned to promote rest instead of frenzy.
We survived the Year of 16 Christmas Parties. But hopefully, what we gained brought life to all of us as we learned to celebrate Jesus and keep our hearts—and energy—focused on Him.
