It’s that time of year again.  We are celebrating the birth of Christ, the love of family, and making sure that our hearts are merry and bright.  Still, let’s not forget all of the other things that we are doing.  We are decorating, planning, and shopping.  However, in the midst of everything that we are doing, we need to realize this one thing. ‘Tis the season to be wise. 

Why Now?

You might be wondering why we are looking at wisdom during the holiday season.  

Well, if we are honest with ourselves, wisdom is the one thing that can be lacking at this time of year which will leave a lasting impact on the next year or so of your life.  

It can sometimes feel like the real reason for Christmas has been lost in all of the ads, purchases, sales, gadgets, trinkets, lists, and things to do.  We can easily forget about the birth of Jesus, being thankful for the gifts of God, and even having a festive occasion with loved ones.  

When walking out of the house and into any store, we are bombarded with the sales of things that we really don’t need.  When turning on the television, we are shown the latest gadgets and promised happiness. 

Now is the time for us to use wisdom.  

We have to be diligent to focus on what is important and lasting. 

I’m not saying that we can’t shop.  I’m not telling you not to go to the stores.  I’m just saying that now is the time for you to think before you leap.  

How can you use wisdom today? Do these 5 Things …

When considering the season, be excited about all that is happening.  There is no reason why you should be stressed about life, if you view it the right way.  Truthfully, you could go all out and spend as much money as you want, trying to make everyone happy.  You could put up all of the decorations and lights needed to feel like Christmas is coming, but at the end of the night, you have to make sure that you feel good about what you’ve done.

I want to encourage you to use wisdom today and everyday of this season by doing these five things.

1. Encourage those that you meet and encounter to “Have a Merry Christmas.”  It is a small thing to smile at another person and ask how they are doing.  You’d be surprised how many people are having a horrible day, month, and even year.  Smiling at them might make a difference.  Asking how their day is going and waiting for an answer might help them feel like they matter. Saying “have a Merry Christmas” might give them hope.  This is the first part to using wisdom because it’s about you pouring into another person.  It gets you out of your own head and situation, so that you can see what life is like for other people.  Not everyone is happy that it’s December.  
2. Make lists of things that you want to purchase for family and friends, prior to spending.  While there are sales going on, you have to remember that the advertiser is not aware of your budget.  Even if they were, I’m not 100% sure that it would matter.  The sales are going to be there and everything is going to look like the perfect opportunity to get a great deal.  However, it’s your job to make sure that you are staying focused on why you are in the store.  When you don’t have a list, you can exceed your budget and if you are not careful, that could impact your life next year.  Be careful with accumulating debt for Christmas.  Those bills will still need to be paid, so don’t spend beyond your means.
3. Evaluate your spending before you get to the register.  This might seem a bit tedious, but it’s important that you look at what you have in your cart or hands prior to getting to the register.  You may not have realized all of the things that you put in it, while walking through the store.  You can keep a calculator with you and tally up your estimated bill, so that you can spend according to what you can afford.  Don’t worry about the people around you.  We should all take a moment to do this, so that we aren’t stressing later on about the money that has been spent on impulse.  You also want to make sure that things ring up at the price that they were listed on the shelves.  Many people are over charged by the stores because the system didn’t charge them the listed or sale price.  Don’t worry about how long it takes.  If the person behind you is in a hurry, he or she can go to another line.  If the cashier is in a hurry, that’s ok.  He or she isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so make sure that you are being charged the correct price. 
4. Be realistic in expectations from others for gift giving.  This might be confusing, so let me explain.  You might have told someone that you want something very expensive.  Perhaps you said that you didn’t want anything at all.  Yet in reality you are expecting the most expensive, high quality item that money could buy.  It is important that you don’t encourage excessive spending from loved ones.  You don’t want them to go into debt paying for items that they could not afford, just to make you happy.  Plus, that happiness will only be temporary.  If you know that you and your husband have a budget, don’t tell him that you want something that is out of the budget.  You know what you want to do for your children or other family members.  You know the bills that you have to pay.  As a woman of wisdom, you should find something within an acceptable price range to add to your lists of desired gifts.  Even if you don’t tell anyone what you want and receive items that were contrary to what you expected, make sure that you have a thankful heart.  They thought about you and gave you something that they thought you would like.  It’s nice to have expensive items, but expensive doesn’t always mean that it’s the best.  It just means that it costs a lot.  
5. Let your communication be in a loving and uplifting manner.  Earlier I mentioned that you should pour into other people and you should.  However, you should also work on cultivating healthy relationships and conversations with other people in a loving and uplifting manner.  It is easy to get into an argument with someone during this time of year.  People are stressed about finances, relationships, health, and so much more.  They are even stressed because they feel like they should be happy and are not. Many people have lost a loved one, are experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts, feel lonely, and lost.  They may never tell us what they are experiencing, but we want the love of God to be shared in our lives, even more at this time of year.  In your relationships make a point to let people know that you care.  Your gift for them could just be a call or an email.  Try your hardest to make peace with all people and not to hold grudges within your heart.  Remember the “Reason” for the season and share the love of God with others and with yourself.  

 I hope that you found this encouraging.  I pray that God would help you see the multitude of ways that you can walk as a woman of wisdom during this season.  Be blessed.