Feeling Overwhelmed? You Aren't Alone
Every Monday we’ll post something to do with maintaining sexual purity. Hope it helps.
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Avoiding the Holiday Relapse
We dress up and stress up for the Season. No avoiding it. Money is tight when we most want to spend it; schedules are crammed; old or unresolved family issues are highlighted; everything’s hectic, crowded, rushed. So while the notion of depression rates rising this time of year is open to challenge it’s a given that stress, along with waist size and carols, rises considerably.
So it’s no surprise when the weakness we’re inclined to, be it overeating, booze, or sexual sin, looks that much more appealing in the midst of Christmas stress. And for the Christian wanting to maintain integrity while celebrating the Prince of Peace, that spells trouble. Year after year at Genesis we hear from families whose joys are crushed when the head of the house medicates his holiday stress with something dark that gets exposed, making the season bleak and miserable. It’s understandable, to a point, but damaging and wrong as well.
Not to mention unnecessary. A little preparation and investment go a long way towards avoiding a winter relapse, so in the interest of keeping it clean, let’s consider a few pointers.
1. Don’t skip your routine
Lots of people drop the basic checks and balances that keep them on track, like exercise, devotions, and accountability meetings, when the extra activities related to Christmas start kicking in. The logic behind skipping these – “The schedule’s too full!” – becomes illogical when you realize that, if your schedule is fuller than usual, you need your routine that much more. So keep the workouts up, guard your prayer time, and don’t even think about skipping your group meetings just because you’re busy. “Busy” means “vulnerable;” and “vulnerable” can, if unchecked, spell relapse.
2. “Peace on Earth” includes you
When planning the coming weeks, keep in mind the value of peaceful celebration. If your time is limited, RSVP your regrets to some of the parties you’re invited to. Make reasonable demands of yourself regarding card mailings and gift lists. If the budget’s tight (and whose isn’t?) remember that your kids will ultimately value the presence of a peaceful parent over the present whose cost stresses the parent out. In practical terms, aim for a mellower, less frantic pace. Peace of mind is one of your purity’s strongest allies.
3. More Spirit, less appetite
Overindulgence is not, contrary to common practice, a Yuletide requirement. When you overdo the candies and slam down the drinks, you get yourself into a mindset which green-lights your appetite. There’s not much of a leap between the many bodily pleasures, so a mindset that says “I’m entitled to gorge and indulge” will find it easy to justify other indulgences as well. So retrain yourself this year to enjoy with moderation in general, and you’ll find it easier to guard sobriety in particular. Christ should, after all, be acknowledged by true worship – Spirit and Truth – above all else.
December’s dawning, the ads have already started, it’s here. So let’s really do it right this time.
Noel.
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