Citizen ATX
Citizen ATX
Christmas Crossroads: Grumpiness vs Joy
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Its the greatest time of the year!...at least for most of us... It is certainly easy to find people who experience immense joy during the Christmas season. But what do we say to those that are having a hard time during the holidays? How are we to interact with the grumpy "bah humbug" folks at our Christmas party's? How do we find Joy in a holiday season that looks different than those of the past? Join Jonathan, Matt, and Stephen as they discuss Grumpiness vs Joy during the holidays.
Hello there and welcome to the Citizen ATX Podcast. We're glad that you're joining us as we hit episode two of our Christmas crossroads series. Every year when we hit the holidays, there is an opportunity to go one way or the other with uh various issues in faith. Last week we covered the idea of uh gluttony and self- and overindulgence against satisfaction. This week we are going to talk about some Susian stuff. That's right, the Grinch who stole Christmas. We're going to talk about grumpiness versus joy. So with me in the studio is Jonathan Spencer. Hello, Jonathan. Hello, Matthew. And also Stephen Vaughn. Hello, Steven. Hello. So why in the world are we talking about grumpiness in the midst of the hap, hap, happiest time of year, right? And you know, you're you get fun shoved down your throat from every crevice and niche of the holiday season. Why are we talking about grumpiness in the midst of the holidays?
SPEAKER_03Because it is very uh prevalent in the holidays. And as we talk about this, you know, Christmas crossroads, those are two different roads that people walk on. Some choose the the road of joy, like, and that's the one we think is the only road. But if we're being honest, there is the other road of grumpiness that does exist. I mean, there's even movies that spotlight this, as you already alluded to with the Grinch. You think about characters like Scrooge. I mean, these are like classic Christmas tales where there's somebody there that doesn't quite get the Christmas spirit. They don't really understand it. And it's because they've chosen that road of grumpiness that we do have to talk about a little bit.
SPEAKER_01And then everybody guilt them into being happy.
SPEAKER_03And it always has that happy ending, but I will tell you, I've done a lot of Grinches and there's not happy endings. So it doesn't always work out that way.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Well, okay, so what kind of things when we're when we're talking about and grumpiness in general is just having a a um a sore spirit in the holidays, not being happy, being generally upset or or otherwise. What kind of things lead to that grumpiness in the season? What what can we pinpoint or put in the crosshairs of aspects or um uh not data, but um variables that arise in our in the Christmas season that can lead people toward grumpiness?
SPEAKER_03I think a lot of it comes under the umbrella of pain, and there's just lots of categories of that pain. Um, I think for some that pain is suffering. You know, there's some people they're not happy because it's not a happy time in their life. You know, they lost somebody that there was a grief of a lost one, or they have cancer, they physically don't feel good, or there's relational distress and the family doesn't uh get together well, and so this causes anxiety and pain uh during the holiday season where everybody else looks all put together. Um, for some people, they're just lonely, they don't have family, you know, and they're also there's that part too where they don't have a group to come together. Um, and then you then the ones that do have family, when you get put in uncomfortable places, you know, you don't want to be, whether it be family gatherings or your corporate Christmas party, you know, whatever it is, there's sometimes those moments where it's just it's just painful. And then then you couple that with, I think for some people, they just get so fatigued. Yeah. Because they're just tired. Because also in the Christmas season, for a lot of people, it's it's not only busy uh, you know, in your family life and personal life with parties and events and all that kind of stuff. A lot of for a lot of businesses, this is a very stressful season, stressful time of the year where you're under uh it's a very difficult financial time for whatever your endeavor is, your your business. And so there's the work stress, family stress, events, time, which just makes you grumpy because you're like, you're like, this isn't fun anymore.
SPEAKER_01Well, and it's a season that's supposed to be a time of self-reflection and things like that. And if you when you feel pressured and you feel like it's all kind of running into a um into a bottleneck, it seems like that really does push a lot of people into a really bad zone in the midst of it. Um, you know, and that idea of busyness in general um and forced fun, I think sometimes because there there is also that guilt people feel of I'm supposed to be happy right now, I'm supposed to be feeling fun, but I'm not. And it makes me angry that everybody around me is trying to force me to have a good time when I don't feel in my heart that I want to have a good time. And so I've seen that happen quite a bit where you know we we talked in the last episode a little bit about masking that sometimes people in the holiday season feel that if they're not forcing everybody to have fun, then they're scared of what else is there or or or not or or having to actually come to grips with the the reality of their feelings. Um and there is also honestly the resentment that's there from people who say, All these people have these things I want and I don't have them and I don't like it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And so, you know, I I think because you made that statement about pain, yeah, it's that response we have that response to pain and then we blame others for that. And um, I think that that's another source of it. I do also think, you know, because I made that statement a minute ago about um about it being the season of reflection and things like that. A lot of times people carry a year's worth of grudges and and grievances into that season, and then they're faced up with some of the people who are the cause of those grievances and grudges, and and then you look at your look at your faith and your practice of it and says, Well, you should be forgiving people. And I'm like, Well, I'm not gonna forgive that jerk. He caused all this problem in the family and things like that. And so I do think that you're you're right, Jonathan, that ultimately when it comes to grumpiness, it is that expression of pain. Um, and we don't know what to do with it rightly, you know. Yeah. Um so we we we set this up then with as with opposites and opposing things. And so the we we put in this one grumpiness versus joy. And so when we talk about joy, what do we mean? What is joy?
SPEAKER_03I think you know, there's the biblical one before that I'll talk about the cultural one, you know, the Christmas joy. You know, I mean, ultimately there's there's a spirit of jollliness that comes with the season. The songs are upbeat, they're hopeful, you know, the the parties are festive and magical, and there's uh these you know loving movies with the happy ending at the end of every every story. And so that's like the whole season is communicated as one of joy, which is rightful by the way, to get to the biblical side, because the birth of Christ brought joy to the world, and that's why we sing that song, and the angel proclaimed, I have good news of great joy for all people. So Christ's birth brought joy to this world. So then the storyline, if you will, and the the festivities and the themes that go with everything Christmas are rightfully, joyfully themed. They should be because that's what the Christian message is. Um, so then what is joy at the end of the day, then, if it's all joyful themed? At the core of what joy should be, it's it's a choice. Um, I think a lot of people get it mixed up that it's a feeling, and feelings are involved in joy. Um, but a lot of times people, I think this is where the tension maybe comes in, is they don't feel very happy, right? Therefore, they cannot find any joy. Um, but sometimes we don't feel very happy, but we can find joy because joy comes through knowing Christ, and it's through contentment that that we receive through knowing God, through faith in Christ and being born again through the Spirit. Those are things that give us joy, and the the hope that we have of eternity gives us joy, and Christ's imminent return gives us joy. So there it's all rooted in faith. Ultimately, to find joy, you have to find Christ. Um, but without that, it makes sense why sometimes you might be a little upset, you know, not everything's great around the Christmas season, and if you're pretending it is, while you don't have an active relationship with Christ, eventually you're gonna cave. You know, it's not gonna work out for you.
SPEAKER_01Well, it makes me even think about the the manger and the and the Advent story that when when you look at that that situation that they were in, it was not necessarily a very positive one, right? Right. You had a very young mother, you had them in a essentially a barn and putting a baby in essentially a trough. And to the extent of the shepherds coming and visiting, they were people, they were living out in the rough, they were rejected by society. After you know, they they come and see the uh see the Christ child, they go back to the same situation they were in, right? And so, I mean, I think when we when we allow it because when we when we allow those circumstances to drive our emotions, our passions, our feelings, and we and that's when we fail to choose joy, right? Because we look at we we don't the reason why the manger scene is joyful is because of what it is, what it means, what it means beyond just that moment. Um and for us, celebrating Christmas now, uh it has to go beyond just the moments that we find ourselves in. Yeah, that it goes beyond just what I'm feeling right now or what people have done to me, but to the greater the greater uh sphere of history and what what it is we're actually celebrating.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. And what we're anticipating too, because I think that's the idea, is it's it's gotta all be centered on our hope and joy in Christ. Because our joy comes from the Lord, it's in the Lord, and and joy came to the world through the person and work of Christ, but we also have joy knowing that Christ will return again. And so that's the why why Paul says in Philippians chapter four, verse four, to rejoice always. And Paul writes that as he's in house arrest in Rome. So you think about it, Paul wasn't always happy. He lists out his whole resume in multiple places in his second letter to Corinth. He lists out all the things that went wrong in his life.
SPEAKER_01Airing the grievances.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, but but but he's but then he says, rejoice always, you know. So but that's kind of my point of joy is a choice, and he's he's renewing his mind, reminding himself that even amidst suffering and hardships, Christ is on his throne, he will return, my inheritance is imperishable, unfading. I've got the Holy Spirit active in my life, and so that joy comes through the Lord, the Lord, and and joy is not given by the world, and it can't be taken away from the world either, is the whole point. And that's why we're called to jump on that road, but sometimes the grumpy road calls louder.
SPEAKER_01Well, and I think one of the ironies of this is that what we're seeing, what you see in grumpiness is actually an overindulgence in feeling sorry for yourself. Yeah. Um and I mean we because you know, there we look, we can we tend to look at life and start to victimize ourselves, and we we look at all the things that have gone wrong for us and what people have done to us and what I want, and I'm not getting what I want, and blah blah blah blah blah. All of that is internal looking and is that indulging. I mean, what it ultimately is, just like we talked about in the last episode, overindulging in food to try to make ourselves feel better. A lot of people will look at the things that have happened to them in the year, and in order to make themselves feel better, they vic they make themselves a victim. And a person who makes themselves a victim is inevitably grumpy and is inevitably choosing not to pursue joy because they're pursuing indulging their own sense of hurt pride or hurt or just general that general pain. And if if all of our emotions are designed of devotion in some direction, ultimately that we we can find ourselves in unwittingly worshiping our pain and making our pain what makes us valuable. Right. You know, we we we we become the things that we um the illnesses and the the problems that we have. Instead of being a a a child of the of the king, uh an adopted son or daughter of of of God, we see ourselves as uh somebody who is um who is who is sick, who is lonely, who is it's not they don't become descriptors, they become then our identity. Yeah, which is very unhealthy. Yeah. And so, I mean, even to the extent when we look at that title, the Grinch, you know, that that became his I that identity there. And so when it went and Scrooge, same thing. We the grumpiness just becomes we become an we we think that we are expressing things that we are entitled or are um or the ways that we deserve to be treated in the season and instead, and so what we do is make an idol of ourselves. Yeah. Um and so that's why what joy does is it always looks outside of the self. Yeah, it pursues something beyond what those circumstances are and are end of self-serving. And that what that does is we we need to talk about then how a person can move from grumpiness into joy because we re we recognize bad things do happen. There are difficult situations that people find themselves in. And so, how can a person rightly uh move and be transformed from a from that identity of grumpiness to an identity of joy in the midst of the season?
SPEAKER_03I think first you just have to remind yourself with truth. Um, I think you're right, Matt. Sometimes we take victim mentalities, but I think it's important, even maybe for those that are listening to this, just remind yourself you're you're not a victim, you're a victor. That's the whole point in being in Christ. You're a victor. And and in Romans 8, we're called co-conquerors with Christ. And so Jesus himself said in John 16, he said, You will face tribulation in this world, but he said, Do not fear because I've already overcome this world. And so there's that idea that you're you are a victor, and it's not because of you, it's because of him. You're on the winning team. So so much of this I think you have to combat through renewing your mind with truth. Um, that's why the word of God tells us Romans 12 to not be conformed to the patterns of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So I know it's it's just the same kind of solution, but it starts with one renew yourself with truth. Um because if you don't, your truth will become the truth that you are thinking, your feelings. Um, because you're right, Matt, when we get in those stuck places, we start creating those stories in our mind, the narrative, and we start believing our own truth, which really is our feelings, it's circumstantial feelings versus when you remove yourself from that to open up God's word and see what God has to say about you and about the world and about all these things, then all of a sudden you're recalibrating your mind. You're renewing it. And so if you're in like a grumpy season, number one, I would encourage you just go to God. I know it's simple, but go to God daily and ask for Him to help transform that and be renewed in your mind. The second thing I would encourage you to do too is be active in a local church. I mean, like, and I know that's once again stereotypical as a pastor, but a lot of Grinches out there and grumpy people, they just, you know, they'll they'll hold themselves into their house, you know, they'll just stay there and not not go out and just kind of not want to address anybody or talk about anything. Go to church, you know, be around some people who are celebrating that joy, and that joy does become a little bit contagious in that sense when you are hearing messages of hope, singing songs of hope, you're hearing from other people, you see God at work around you. Those things help open up your perspective.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and oh there I would say there's actually probably two different types of grumpy people in Christmas. I would say that was that's probably the most most like applicable to this particular podcast of the opposite of joy, essentially. But like there's also people, and I would categorize myself, categorize myself in here sometimes where I don't particularly like Christmas decorations like at all, and I also don't like some of the other little traditional thingies, and like the music's kind of lame to me, to be honest. And so I'm like, well, I just really don't like Christmas that much. I'm not necessarily like grumpy or depressed or anything, but I just don't love the whole like festivities of Christmas.
SPEAKER_01Well, there's the they're getting bored with Christmas kind of thing of the of the same of the same old, same old, right?
SPEAKER_00So I get called to grinch sometimes for those kinds of things.
SPEAKER_01Well, and what I would say for different for someone from that direction, uh, creating new traditions, I think, is the the best way to go about that, of pursuing joy, right? Because again, uh the the when you look at the at the what causes grumpiness, it's always an inward-facing kind of thing of I don't like this, I don't like that. You know, if you if you take a step back and say, well, it doesn't matter what I think about this, I I'm going to serve somebody else. Because I think aiming all of our efforts at pleasing ourselves will inevitably leave us grumpy. It just it's just the nature of the thing. There's never there's never gonna be enough of whatever it is that you're craving to try to make yourself joyful and happy. You're pouring it into a bottomless hole. And so the the reality is we have to stop pointing all of our efforts in the season at satisfying ourselves and start looking to satisfying others and and frankly just serving others, yeah. Being doing things without without expecting them to send something back to us. Yeah, I mean, it it it's that it's the nature of it that God multiplies blessings from that. Yeah, you'll experience it.
SPEAKER_00Oh, go ahead. I honestly think that God made me marry the woman that he did for that reason, to be honest. Because she loves it, she loves all decorations and all that stuff. I'm like, seeing that bring her joy is actually way more worth it than me complaining about it.
SPEAKER_01Well, that's and that's the case. I mean, if and and I would and I would encourage people, if there are people listening to this like Stephen, like where you're coming from, don't let your boredom with the season become a sharp edge for other people, right? Yes, because that that's one of the collateral damages that happens in this, because we we get grumpy about things, and what we have to do is throw that on other people. And I am a great example of this because I get cynical and grouchy, and I'm like, well, you know what? I'm gonna let other people I got a lot of problems with you people, and I'm gonna let you know about them. You know, it's it and it it is in its nature, it's selfish. And we we we focus on satisfying ourselves over and above other people. But one one thing I think that we also have to recognize in this, because we've talked about you talked about earlier that the reality of pain, we have to be real and honest with other people about what's going on, and we have to create margin for people to express that pain and that suffering in the midst of the season. One of my favorite Christmas hymns or or poems really is what it is, um, is I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by um I think he's I think it's Wordsworth. But man, it's just it it is a a bittersweet song because he talks about how all the pain and the suffering, he wrote it, I believe, during the Civil War era. And the reality of it is that in the song he expresses a lot of pain, a lot of uh uh suffering in it, but ultimately through that pain and suffering, he's able to express that joy, right? And a lot of people find themselves mired in grumpiness, partly because they won't create margin to it rightly express the difficulty and pain that they're suffering. They look at how everybody everybody is acting and says, Oh, they're just trying to force me to have fun and force me to feel better about this. How have we been vulnerable to try to heal from what it is that we're we're we're expressing? You know, you make that statement about being involved in a church. I think that is part of what it means to be involved in a church is to let your needs be known to other people and to care for the needs of other people. Yeah um, that recognizing that loneliness is a real thing and that there are people who are going to not have people with them in the holiday, are we actively creating room for them? If we are experiencing pain, what are we doing to try to help lighten the pain of others as well? And so I think creating margin for honesty about the pain that you might be expressing and feeling in the season is really important because you can't fake it away, right?
SPEAKER_00I think churches have to kind of be aware of that as well within their own congregation because like for instance, there's a lot of uh single people in churches and stuff who don't have family around or things like that, and that's where that programming really comes important. Like I know at my home church, Christmas Eve was not really a big thing, but here in Texas, it's it's a pretty big thing, the Christmas Eve services. Yeah, I think that's a great thing actually for a lot of the single people in our church to have somewhere to go to actually celebrate with other people.
SPEAKER_01Well, you get to light a candle with somebody else, you get to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Yeah, it's a beautiful thing. It's a really beautiful service. Um, I'll also note that here here at our church this year, um, and Jonathan, you'll probably want to speak about this, but we we are doing for the first time this year something called a Christmas memorial service. Um, do you want to talk about the why behind that? Sure. Because I think this speaks into that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it does. It's it's an illustration for sure. It's it's once again trying to make room for some people that maybe get overlooked. And the category Matt's alluding to is people in our church who are experiencing loss that have lost somebody over the course of this calendar year calendar year. And the holidays are the hardest when you when you're grieving uh the recent loss of a loved one. And so we're putting on a special uh worship service so that we're gonna read those names, we're gonna remember them, but we're also gonna sing together. I'm gonna present a message of comfort, and we're gonna bring the church together and right basically say we remember these people and we remember you, surviving family members, that that this holiday season's not easy for you. And so the simple acknowledgement, and we haven't done this yet at the time of this recording, you know, we're we're preparing for that. But the purpose of that is to do what what y'all said, and that's my hope is that people will s feel seen, that they'll feel comforted, uh, because it's not easy. But I but I think also what would be helpful for people, even more than just you know, making room and finding the space and being known, I agree with all those principles. I think also set measured expectations for the Christmas season, too. I think that will help you find joy. Um, where I think sometimes too, sometimes we're grumpy because our expectations are not met. Um, and whether that be through relational connection, where I expect, you know, 50 people to reach out to me and I want this, and if that doesn't happen, then I'm gonna be grumpy.
SPEAKER_01Um Well, I and I would say it's undefined expectations usually because it is because in their own mind. I mean you could you could get greeted at a church by 15 people and say, Well, why didn't 20 people do it? Like why why why don't I feel happier now, right? Um, because I think sometimes there are unrealistic expectations and sometimes there's just not undefined. I agree. Because if you have undefined expectations, it doesn't matter how good the experience is, it could it could have been better.
SPEAKER_03I agree, I agree. And and having those kind of and also and even with that, with them being measured, but also realistic in that sense too. I mean, sometimes we set the bar on other people that it's just it's unfair. We can't even reach the bar we're setting ourselves. And so um, I think having measured reasonable expectations in that context, if say you're feeling a little bit lonely, a little bit down and out. But then on the other side, even if you're not feeling down and out, you know, the people that get grumpy real quick during the holidays is when they had a romanticized idea of how something Was going to go and it didn't go the way they thought. And that's how a lot of people get grumpy over the holidays. For instance, the you know, this my uh Christmas event is gonna be like a Hallmark movie and everybody's gonna enjoy it and the food's gonna be great. We're all gonna love each other and cry together, and everybody's gonna talk and do these things, and something goes wrong, it doesn't work right, and then people get grumpy because it's once again unmatched, unrealistic expectations. So um, I would just encourage you, just be okay with that. If you're if you're those kind of OCD types that just want to control and have everything perfect, which by the way, I'm kind of one of those two, so I'm speaking as one. Um, that's why I know who you are. And and so if that's you, just not lower the bar in a sense. Like it let it be okay. It's it's okay if if everything's not perfect the way you wanted it to be. It's okay if the pictures weren't perfect, the food wasn't perfect. Just be together and rejoice that you're together and and and celebrate that and move forward.
SPEAKER_01Well, let me let me share a real life example of that. A couple of years ago, I was having at thank around Thanksgiving, I was having a really terrible attitude about everything and was just grouchy about it. Um, and finally, after after Adrian, my wife trying to figure out what was the matter with me, I finally shared shared with her that I was disappointed because really all my only uh goal that I wanted was to sit down and watch the Dallas Cowboys football game. Whether they win or lose, probably lose. That'll make you grumpy. That'll make you grumpy. But but the reality is like it's just something that I've done, you know, forever. And it's a place that I can that of expectation of hey, I'm just gonna, I don't have to be doing something else during this time frame. The problem was I didn't share it with her. I didn't share that expectation with her, and an unshared expectation, we cannot blame other people for it not being met. And so that would be an encouragement that I would have to people that you know, maybe it sometimes it's good and creates realistic expectations when you actually have to share it out loud to somebody else, trusting that they care for you and that they want something and may and they want something good for you as well. And maybe maybe your expectation is not realistic, but maybe you can come to an expectation that is, and then you can be able to look back afterwards and evaluate and say, Hey, I um I got to do this thing, right? Yeah, um, because the the thing that always makes us the most miserable is the thing that could have been but wasn't. Um and so yeah, I think I think that that that's one good way to do that. I'll say this also, and you mean you mentioned this about the the uh crazy crazy uh rush of parties and appointments and stuff like that. One of the biggest things that you can do to also help that grumpiness is to control your schedule. Like there are you can say no to things at times. Um people pleasers uh get get so run over during the holidays because they feel like they they're letting people down if they don't go to every single thing. Right. You have to you have to create margin for real rest. You have to do it. And again, you can't you can't look at crazy busyness in a season and say, well, it's somebody else's fault. You know, we ultimate all of us ultimately control our own schedule and we control the things, the areas where we choose to go enjoy ourselves. Um and so we've got to stop allowing that control of that schedule to be taken away and put into uh everybody else's fault because it's not, it's ours. Um, because we fail to say no to things. Yep. I agree. And so, all right. So Lynn, let's say one, let's have one more question here before we close off on this this episode. What difference does it make at the end of the day? Like what like if we're if we're talking about moving from grumpiness to joy, does it make a difference? Like, who cares if I'm grumpy over the season? Everybody else got to do what they got they wanted to do, but I'm I'm not, I'm don't worry about old Matt. I'm just gonna sit here in the corner and be angry. Like what what difference does joy ultimately make in this in the environments that you find yourself in the season?
SPEAKER_03It changes you and it changes others. Um, it's both because because you're right. Like, what difference does it make? Well, it'll help you. Like you're no one wins just sitting there grumpy and upset. No one wins. You're not winning in that. And others aren't winning because you're upsetting them. But in joy, everybody wins. You win by choosing joy because you're actually now experiencing uh experiencing joy as God has for you, and you're you're be able to count it all joy, as James 1 says, even during when you face various trials. And you're experiencing that joy through God, who's sustaining you and giving you all the grace you need. So it changes you. You know, that's the number one thing. And as it changes you, it changes your surroundings. And that's the idea of light shining through us, is that when God's lighting up our life, he then lights up our surroundings through us, that we impact others. And a person that's filled with joy makes a massive impact on other people. They they literally, I mean, we know those people, we could all think of it in our mind. Right. When that person X walks in the room, the room changes. Um, and and we all know those types of people. And those people aren't like magical fairies. You most often they're just full of the Holy Spirit. That's really all it is. They are just full of the Holy Spirit. And when they walk in, their change actually changes others. And so that's kind of, I guess, my point is what's the difference? It's it's you're robbing yourself and others of what God could do through you. And so instead, if you choose joy, um, you'll be transformed. And I think you could transform somebody else's Christmas.
SPEAKER_01And I and I want to bring up this point too, for those who are listening to this who are parents, um, we have to take account that if we allow ourselves to choose grumpiness over joy, and it is a choice, um, we have to take note that there will be collateral damage for our children as they watch the quality with which we we pursue the holidays. Because, you know, if you if you are begrudgingly going to yet another family party and you're in the car complaining about your family and complaining about the things that they do, what do you think that's going to do for the perspective of those children who are who are watching you for a modeling of what the full life is? Um ultimately we they we we don't live in a vacuum. And whether you have children or are single and have friends, I mean, again, you we re we represent Christ in all the different places that we go. And so if whenever we choose grouchiness and grumpiness, and again, I'm saying this in condemnation of myself, um, we show those that love us and those who are looking to us for a Christian example that Christ is a grumpy person too, or is a resentful person, or is a grumpy person, or is whatever. Um and why would they choose that when they have the opportunity later on in life? They'll per they'll say, Now watch them pursue this, I'm not gonna pursue that. Um and so there is a little bit on the line there for for believers that we are modeling what who we believe Christ to be and what we what we believe that Christ-like life is, and if we are choosing that grumpiness and we're choosing to find fault with everything, we're gonna breed that in other people as well. And so we need to put in this on a more positive note than that though. Because I mean I'll I'll say this too, and you because you you alluded to this, but grouchy people don't make impact. No, they only tear away. The kind of the kind of people that make impact are joyful people, they're the ones that can ultimately change people's lives. And if we want to be inhabited by the spirit of the living God in the midst of the holidays, man, bring joy into dark circumstances. Be a be a person of light in a world that has rejected that light and shine, right?
SPEAKER_00I'll say also if you're kind of grumpy for the state of just kind of how your life has been, maybe you're depressed or there's just a lot going on and you're in a bad state right now, like perhaps enjoying the holidays might be the thing to help you kind of cope a little bit better or at least try to get out of some of that. Break out of the rug. And it feels it feels opposite to what you may be feeling, but actually going and and uh pursuing love, pursuing relationships, pursuing some sort of interaction with people, and ultimately pursuing God and celebrating his birth, yeah, I think are are things that will help you to start to mend and heal some of that depression that's going on.
SPEAKER_03I I'll cut in my final thoughts from uh I'll share a verse I pulled up, Romans 15, verse 13, because I think it speaks to that point, Stephen, of ultimately receiving it from the Lord. We're told Paul says, May the may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. And so if if you feel like that way, like the way you were describing, Stephen, the source of joy that we have to be filled with is the sources, God. He said, May God fill you with all joy. Right. And then that joy will come, he said, by the power of the Holy Spirit, through him you'll abound in hope, meaning that you will light up the room, you'll look different, and it's gonna come through the power of the Holy Spirit. So I would just encourage you, uh, if you are listening and you're maybe that person Stephen was describing, you're just not feeling it, go to God. It's okay if you're not feeling it. But God is the source, he's the lifeline, and he'll renew your joy, and then that joy will fill you with hope uh through the power of the Holy Spirit. So I I hope you choose that road, even if you don't see yourself having a place on it, that's okay. God can get you there. That's the whole point. You maybe can't walk on that road, but you can with God. And so go to God and be renewed in your joy.
SPEAKER_01One last question. Is there a Christmas song? And I think, Stephen, you've already alluded to the fact that there's not. Is there is there a Christmas song that brings you joy that when you hear it on the radio, you feel like this is it is Christmas time now?
SPEAKER_03Hmm. Well, probably like in sync, Merry Christmas, happy holidays, probably something like that. It's it's Christmas.
SPEAKER_00Jingle bell rock. Let's go back.
unknownYeah. I don't know.
SPEAKER_03I don't know if I have a song. I like Christmas music, though. I just let it roll playlists on Spotify. I don't even know what I'm listening to.
SPEAKER_01I love the a cappella version of White Christmas from the movie Home Alone. That's when you know it's Christmas time, right? It's good. All right. Well, friends, thank you all for joining us. You gr you bring us joy by being a part of our of our conversation here on the Citizen ATX podcast. And we look forward to next week as we continue this Christmas crossroads series. But we do hope that as you find yourself in the midst of the season, that you find a place to serve, you find a place to belong, and you find a place to open yourself up to the joy that God desires to give you. So take care, friends, and we look forward to seeing you next time on the Citizen ATX Podcast.