Christmas is soon approaching and the spirit stirs within us along with the many expectations of things we look forward to. When a child, there was nothing better than wondering what gifts Santa would bring on Christmas Eve-- the presents that would be placed under a perfect Christmas tree.
My family had a tradition of taking a day and going out to a tree farm and selecting a tree for decorating with the many ornaments, tinsel, and lights Dad had to unpack from somewhere. We were filled with hope looking forward to the day, and expected snow so we could have a snowball fight in and amongst the trees which all seemed to root for one of us to 'pick' it as the chosen one. I couldn't help but imagine that all the trees in dutiful lines were lonely. But, we had to decide on the "perfect" one (although a side of me wanted to pick the loneliest, not necessarily a Charlie Brown tree, but one that needed a little 'sprucing' up (sorry).
If one of us saw the tree, we'd holler or whistle to the rest of the family to gather round and judge the selection. Of course, being the competitive sort that we were, we pleaded our case for the tree we deemed perfect. The scene was set for a thumbs up or down vote. My sister and I would expect the back and forth ribbing, for when the 'winning' tree was chosen, the other would say, "Oh, that's an ugly tree!" "No, it's not, it's perfect!" Expectation fulfilled. We topped it off with laughter and happily strapped the tree to the roof our our station wagon for the ride home.
Nothing is truly perfect...I studied Greek in college, in particular, Koine Greek, which was the original written language of the New Testament in the Bible. Jesus said, "Therefore, be ye perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). So the thought was out there, as a preacher's kid, that perfection was truly attainable. However, the original Greek word _teyeios_ meant 'complete'--not perfect or without flaw as we understand the English denotation of the word today. Sometimes we have a perfect picture of what Christmas or even life is to be like, but the expectations of such never quite mesh with the vivid and ideal image we hold onto.
This holiday season, we anticipate with confidence in having expectations of happiness fulfilled. Understand, however, that all expectations don't have to be perfect.
Think instead of the many lonely people who wish they had even one expectation fulfilled that day. The continued plight of the poor or forsaken in our society sincerely is the 'ugly' part of the holidays; there are many who need to be 'picked' for a welcoming invite into a warm, empathetic, and loving home---even if it's just for a cup of coffee, a meal, or a kind gesture.
Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world. However, by just the simple act of being grateful for what we have, appreciative for the friends and family in our lives, and expecting a better world by being compassionate and understanding to others, it can be be a less lonely place and a more complete world of hope and promise.