The Twelfth Step

Another holiday shopping season has now arrived and of course yet another Black Friday. My first thought every year on this day is always about those people who are going to be out there franticly looking for that perfect gift at the cheapest price.

I’m so thankful I won’t be one of them.

Frankly there’s not a single gift out there that could ever be purchased with money that would bring me the joy I truly seek in life. Because the joy I truly seek is something far greater than money could ever buy and it’s something I believe can only come from God.

People often get so disillusioned during the holiday shopping season, especially on Black Friday, hoping that what they end up buying for a loved one, especially for their children, will provide a ton of joy. Even commercials portray this now, as I just saw one from Walmart about kids opening up their gifts on Christmas Day, screaming in delight at the top of their lungs, and dancing around like nothing else could ever top what they just received.

What’s funny to me about all this is the memories I have of the countless holiday gifts I’ve received over the years and how any joy I ever felt from any of them was usually gone in a matter of days, to weeks, and if I was lucky, maybe months. But you see that’s the limitation of receiving physical gifts. That feeling of joy we feel from them is ever fleeting.

The joy that comes from God though is one that’s freely given and one that never comes from outside of us, it comes from within. Unfortunately, most people are usually way too busy during the holiday season looking for those external gifts, allowing their minds to be far too occupied with a shopping list they carry from store to store.

I think that’s why tempers and frustrations seem to flare quite a bit on days like Black Friday or during the holiday season in general, because the focus is rarely on cultivating a connection to receive God’s joy, instead it’s on the ego’s desire to be the one to provide that joy for another.

Thus, I ask you to ponder the following question as you begin to navigate through a new holiday season.

What if the only holiday gift you were able to give this year to anyone was your time? Time spent laughing, hugging, sharing, and reminiscing. Time spent playing, singing, dancing, and caring. Time that was just spent unconditionally loving.

Most of these things are often overlooked as soon as Black Friday arrives for people. As then they’re off and running a mile a minute, stressing out about things that in the long run probably won’t end up mattering to anyone.

Honestly, I think my only point I’m trying to make is the same one I make every year. True joy will never come from any gift you may buy during this holiday season. True joy can only come from within you, it’s freely given, and it’s one that’s meant to be shared in ways that don’t necessarily come from stepping foot in any store.

So, think about that the next time you find yourself becoming angry about a potential gift that’s already sold out, the next time you find yourself impatiently waiting in those long holiday lines for hours on end, the next time you’re anxiously looking for a parking spot in an overly crowded mall lot, or the next time you’re worrying about that growing credit card balance.

As maybe then you will begin to seek a joy that can truly surpass all of this…

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson