Overflowing at Christmas

I have never heard someone say about the Christmas season, “We’re about to enter the most peaceful time of the year!” There are too many things competing for our attention: sales, shopping, holiday recipes, hosting parties, kids’ activities, traveling, new traditions…I’m sure you can add a few more of your own. There is just this feeling of being rushed and busy, with the calendar filling up and us feeling like we have to keep up with everyone else. We are pressured to find perfect gifts for everyone on our list even if it’s outside our budget.

The world likes to tell us what we need to be filled up with - more of practically everything...except Jesus. Around Christmas it’s things like you need more parties, more decorations, more time to watch Hallmark movies, more peppermint mochas… (I can’t be the only one!) It’s hard not to be swayed by all the noise. We begin filling our schedules and hearts with what the world’s version of a successful Christmas season is. Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Christmas parties and decorating and giving gifts to those we love. Those are all great things. But like with everything in the Christian life, it’s what is in our hearts that matters most. That brings us to an important question: What are we filling our hearts with?

 Romans 15:13 says:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

John 15:11 says,
“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

 John 10:10 says,
“I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

The Bible is full of scripture that gives us this image of cups running over with what we need – these eternal possessions we just read about like joy, peace, and hope.

What I love about Jesus is that he doesn’t just fill us up halfway or even right to the brim - He promises to fill us so that we are overflowing. I like the image of ‘overflowing’; the spilling over that happens when we accept what God is offering. This joy, peace, and hope he longs to give us - these are the things we should be filling our hearts and lives with.

But how do we do that?

We ask. God to fill us with the things that are life-giving and we trust that he is the only one who can give us what matters and what lasts. In the act of asking God, we make a declarative statement of trust in God over the world to supply us with what we want to fill us up. It reveals that our hearts’ desire is to know Jesus better not the world.  

We seek His Word. Once we ask, we need to go straight to his Word and seek how to store up joy, peace, and hope in our hearts. Do a word study on any of these words and you’ll find multiple verses of Scripture to fill you up. God is faithful to reveal his words to us and then fill us up with characteristics that eventually overflow from our cups and influence those around us.

We wait on the Lord. Sometimes we just need to take 15 minutes and sit with the Lord and not fill the space with more of our own words or “deeper” study. Sometimes we need to sit and be quiet. Which is hard to do, especially with the annoying whirring sound of the refrigerator or the amplified sounds of our kids waking up in the morning. We have to-do lists for work and life running through our minds. It is difficult to sit and be with the Lord but it is possible and like many things takes practice. I encourage you to be diligent, be habitual, and if you’re having trouble, start by dwelling on one verse of Scripture.

I am always amazed at how God speaks to my heart when I create the space to hear him.

Asking, seeking, and waiting is for our benefit, of course, as it helps us become more like Jesus. But it’s also for the benefit of others - our kids, neighbors, coworkers, those tough-to-love family members who are all watching the way we live out our faith.

I’ve learned this firsthand with my four-year-old daughter – I will sometimes hear her talking to her dolls or stuffed animals and most of the time she is mimicking what I’ve said to her. Sometimes it’s amusing and I’m thinking oh, so you really did hear what I was saying! And sometimes it’s convicting… And you caught that tone I said it in, too.

Out of the heart the mouth speaks so what we’re filling our hearts with will eventually come out. We must be diligent to fill it Christ so that people see that our source of hope and joy is Jesus.

So why does all of this matter? Because your life is a reflection of the Gospel. If you have been saved by Jesus Christ, you are called to imitate Him. Remember Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

When we put our trust in Him, he renews us and fills us up with the joy and peace that can only come from him. Then, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can overflow with hope to those that need Jesus (which is everyone, by the way). 

In a world that is so busy, where so many people are stressed out even by the thought of Christmas, we have an opportunity to display peace. To be the calm in the chaos. If you’re a believer, it’s because you know where your true hope lies (and it’s not of this world). Our greatest peace rests in who Jesus is and what he’s done for us.

So even if right now is the only time you stop to ponder this over the next month, remember that what we should be filling our hearts with is Jesus himself. Filling our cups with what truly matters so that we can be an overflow of the true source of Joy to others this Christmas season (and always). And maybe while we’re at it we can even help those around us be a little less stressed this Christmas.