A Holiday Season Focused on Joy

It is almost as distracting as tinnitus, and each day it draws inexorably closer. Yes, it’s the holiday season. Ready or not, it is upon us and will soon arrive, with or without our cooperation.

But while we may not be able to hold back the rush of the holiday season, we do have control over how we move through this sacred time of thanksgiving, expectation, and nativity.

Life is always full of distractions, but during these next two months, the diversions will pull us in many different directions—sometimes joyous, sometimes aggravating. Whether we experience joy or aggravation will depend quite a bit upon our ability to maintain our attention.

In his book Living Presence, Kabir Helminski writes, “We know how difficult it can be to pay attention. At the moment that we notice something, there is no effort. Effort enters when we try to sustain attention.”

True attention begins at the center. For me, the heart of wisdom is found in the Great Commandment that Jesus repeated from Deuteronomy 6:5 with an appendage from Leviticus 19:18, which is basically, “Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as you love yourself.” This commandment is a guide to joyfulness through the possibly stressful situations that the holidays can present.

When you and I live with our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls in balance, then we are centered, and attention requires less effort. We relax into the challenges that each day produces.

But how do we get there? Here’s a suggestion: Start each day checking in with your self. Touch your mind, body, heart, and soul with focused attentiveness. Let each tell you its fears, joys, and aggravations. Work to change what you can change, and work to accept what you cannot change. Then, at the end of the day, do the same thing.

When you and I have centered our inward world, the outer world has less opportunity to distract us and pull us into the chaos of aggravation. When you and I have centered our inward world, we are also more present to the outward world and to those who populate it—our spouses, lovers, friends, teachers, bosses, and children.

Kabir also writes, “What we choose to give our attention to we energize.” The holiday season presents us with many opportunities to energize by our attention stressful aggravation or bountiful joy. Entering into this season of giving and hope centered and attentive, we can be truly thankful for God’s blessings, filled with expectation of God’s coming, and joyful in the potential of God born in us.

On what will you spend the energy of your attention?

Joel t