Christmas Clinometer
"We perceive the world, not as it is but as it is for us."
I've been thinking about this quote all week. It's a line from a book called, "Perceptions: How Our Bodies Shape Our Minds" written by Dennis Proffitt and Drake Baer. The book explores the idea that everyone perceives the world differently. Studies have shown that a hill will be perceived to be more steep in the eyes of those who rarely exercise, while those who do tend to see the grade more accurately. One person's refreshing hike on the trail, is another's exhausting trial. We can use a clinometer to accurately and objectively tell us how steep that hill is. Still, very few of us can perceive the mountain with scientific accuracy.
Same mountain, different experience.
In another example, a woman walking her dog sees the path before her, but her canine companion experiences the whole spectrum of scent through his nose on the journey and comprehends the environment in a very different way.
Same road, different experiences.
I love Christmas. It's a time of celebration for our family and friends and marks the end of the year. I approach Christmas with joy and hope for many reasons. One of them is that I know that Santa will visit our home this year on Christmas Eve.
My kids will wake up to presents underneath the tree. My family and I will have a Christmas dinner this year and enjoy two great days off in the middle of a work week. I have a faith tradition that celebrates the hope and promise of a better world ahead. Christmas is like a beautiful mountain that appears on the horizon of a long year's road trip. I can't wait to get there.
I don't experience the holiday season as an exhausting climb.
However, a mountain of joy for me is a dark valley for that single mom who is desperately trying to manage a home that Santa is not likely to visit this year. It may also be a lonely double shift for the single new Canadian living far from family. Or, it's a painful time of remembrance for those who have lost family in this past year.
Same Christmas season, different experience.
My favorite Christmas passage in the Bible is found in the book of Luke, which recounts the preaching of John the Baptist, heralding the arrival of the Messiah.
"during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
"A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
'Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
6 And all people will see God's salvation.'" [a]
-Luke 3: 2-6
"Every Mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth..." I love that—the arrival of Jesus into the world is the promise of life where everyone has an equal opportunity to experience it.
The hopeful promise of peace for everyone.
Christmas is the time to stop and train our eyes to see hope again. It's also an invitation for all of us to work towards a world where peace is the norm. It's a season to pick up a proverbial shovel and do our part to level the hills so our neighbors can walk through life more easily. It's a time to be generous and kind by inviting many to the tables of blessing that we enjoy. This could look like donating to the food bank or Santa's Anonymous to help Santa find the homes of single moms who are trying to make ends meet or helping our neighbors find rest.
Friend, I'm excited for Christmas and our year ahead. With everything in me, I dream of a world where we can all see and experience the beauty and joy of Christmas together.
Thank you for reading!