All I Want For Christmas Is Brains…

The sun was creeping an unearthly crawl, pulling itself up onto the horizon, as I stumbled through the sliding glass doors. I looked over my shoulder, checking to make sure I had a quick exit if the need arose. The further inside the building I walked, the more my nostrils tingled with the scent of burnt coffee beans, sandalwood cologne, and whatever cinnamon-ey fragrance they were piping through the ancient duct systems in this place. As I approached the looming display, gallons of fake snow spread across the aged indoor carpet, emotionless mannequins dressed in sickeningly festive sweaters and scarves, I could feel my claustrophobia building. To my left, right, front, and back there were now shambling masses of flesh, eyes glazed over with only one thought in their autopilot minds:

“Giftssssssss…..”

The zombies of Christmas past, present, and future are all the same:

Warm bodies with no thought to their surroundings or intentions, focused solely on obtaining this or that toy or gadget, and a partridge in a pear tree.

We are told all through Scriptures that anything in our lives that shifts our focus from God as the Source, Provider, and Sustainer of all parts of us as His creation is an idol, pure and simple. But the unspoken truth is that when those things have usurped God from His rightful place in our lives, we are declaring and asserting to make our lives harder.

“Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales, hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship! They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it, they set it in its place, and it stands there;it cannot move from its place. If one cries to it, it does not answer or save him from his trouble.” (Isaiah 46:6-7)

Idols we set up, be they financial, material, or otherwise, are a burden we choose to carry. Whereas when God is in the rightful place of worship, and all our motives and passions are centered on Him, the opposite is true:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

The only way for us to avoid being zombies this holiday season is to remember the reason we give gifts (to remind us of the gift God gave us and to reflect His love), the reason we celebrate the season (in expectation of God redeeming the world), the reason we gather with family (to display what God and His Kingdom look like).

If we get consumed by the materialism, allowing it to take over our thoughts and actions, then we are no better than a mall full of shambling undead.

And that’s when I run for the exit…

Stay strong, survivors.

-J

www.quarterlifechristian.com