Once we’ve opened the presents, attended the parties, and eaten the extra desserts, and after the stations have stopped playing Christmas music and movies 24/7, it’s time to switch gears. Whereas I have been in elf mode – furiously making lists and checking them twice – soon after Christmas, I switch into cleaning mode.
The decorations need to be put away, and every inch of the house needs a thorough cleaning. I become Mrs. Clean, and no one better get in my way (unless they are carrying a broom or a duster, that is). This year was no different, and after a couple days of cleaning bathrooms, dusting, and washing floors, I sighed with relief. It was done.
Now I could begin to enjoy the new year in a freshly cleaned house. But out of the corner of my eye, I spied something winking at me from its spot on the rug. Upon further investigation, I discovered that it was a bit of confetti that had escaped from some festive tissue paper I had used to wrap a gift before bagging it. This little gal had somehow evaded the vacuum cleaner and was just sparkling away as it caught the overhead light.
My first impulse was to pick it up and dispose of it right away, before my cleaning senses activated and I felt the need to re-vacuum. But then I stopped. This piece of confetti was a small reminder of the fun we had over Christmas break. It was glittering and excessive and colorful, just like the season can sometimes be. And I rather liked the idea of bringing a bit of that glitz and glam into the new year.
I remember when I was child, I was so sad when Christmas was over. I mean, I would usually even have a good cry when all was said and done. I just loved it so much, and I almost couldn’t bear for the extra fun and goodness to end.
Sometimes even as an adult, we can feel this way. We miss the family members we only get to see at Christmas. We miss the later bedtimes and sleeping in, the jovial nature of being on vacation from school and work. Or sometimes it’s the opposite. Perhaps this Christmas had you frazzled, and you’re glad it’s over. It came too soon, demanded too much of you, and left you feeling depleted. Maybe you have some difficult relatives who hurt your feelings when you gathered to celebrate.
Either way, we can often find ourselves looking back this time of year instead of forward. And I am learning that sometimes, it’s okay to look back. Sometimes, God uses sweet moments to strengthen us for tough moments to come. And He also uses hard times to prepare us for the beauty that is awaiting us down the road. So how do we look back in a productive way?
Well, we can learn both what not to do and what to do from the Israelites. After being allowed to leave Egypt, the Israelites are camping by the sea when Pharaoh changes his mind and comes charging after them. We read about this experience in Exodus 14.
Verses 10-12 tell us: As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
Now, I am not judging the Israelites for panicking in this moment. And honestly, I have never been pursued by over 600 chariots manned by angry officials. I can’t even imagine the stress of that moment. But I have looked back at what I sometimes think of as the good old days in a way that breeds discontent in my present situation.
And we see a couple chapters later, in Exodus 16, that the Israelites find themselves again looking back in a way that not only breeds discontent in their current situation but also in a way that discounts the miracles God had orchestrated in order to bring them out of Egypt.
Verses 2 and 3 reveal their hearts: In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”
We can see why the Israelites are complaining in both cases, can’t we? Fear and hunger can place tremendous stress on our minds and bodies. But so can pouting and grumbling about where we presently find ourselves while looking back with often-times rose-colored glasses and pining for days gone by.
I am a fairly reflective person, so I find myself looking back at years past or even months past, and definitely this time of year at the Christmas season and all of its loveliness and fun memories. I don’t consider this a negative practice unless it begins to color my perception of my present in a way that weighs my heart down. (As in, last month was so much more fun than this month! I hate January. The gym is always full, and everyone is paying bills and eating healthfully. And the Amazon truck hasn’t stopped by my house for weeks. Where’s the fun and lightheartedness of last month? Why can’t it be Christmas all year round?)
We can see how easily our hearts can be burdened when we look back in a way that causes our now to feel less than the happy times of the past. But looking back can cause us joy, if we do it with the correct perspective.
Psalm 106 recounts the Israelites and their exodus and miraculous journey through the Red Sea. And I love verse 12: Then they believed his promises and sang his praise. It’s such a positive example of what can happen when we look back and remember all of the ways God has been faithful to us. Looking back in this way, through this lens of gratitude, can cause our hearts to swell with praise to God.
Kinda like the piece of confetti that has made itself at home in my kitchen rug. It shimmers every evening when I turn on the lights, reminding me that yes, it was a sweet Christmas in so many ways. But instead of making my exodus from the kitchen with a heavy heart, missing those precious times, I can pour out my praise to God for being Immanuel, God with us, all year long.
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