Vices and Virtues in the Coming Year

2018 is almost upon us. As the old year fades away, and the new year arrives, a lot of people set New Year's Resolutions.

I recently read Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott. In the book, Rose (the main character) challenges her cousins to give up one of their vices. She is challenged in turn to turn from one of her little vanities. This little exchange got me thinking as the new year approaches:

What vice in my life should I leave behind in 2017?
What virtue should I cultivate and add into my life in 2018?

If I cannot see the faults I possess or the virtues I lack, who is a trusted person in my life that I can ask for their honest opinions? Sometimes other people see these areas more clearly than I do because they are in my blind spot.

Even though I am a saved and sanctified Christian, I am still human and struggle to overcome my earthly nature. I can be petty, prideful, and a perfectionist. I know that I am not the reflection of Christ that I want to be. But I got to thinking: what if, each year, I give up a vice or idol that I realize is separating me from God? What if, each year, I make the effort to cultivate a virtue that Christ possesses, but I lack? Each year, little by little, day by day, I will be growing more Christ-like as I depend on His grace and mercy more and more.

In 2017, I plan to leave behind a few vices in my life: I will stop grumbling and complaining. I will release my hold on my possessions (aka stop being stingy).

In 2018, I plan to cultivate and add a few virtues: I will practice being empathetic and specifically nurture my empathy. I will practice generosity as a antidote to my natural tendency towards stinginess and greed.

I know there will be times in 2018 when I will grumble, complain, and be stingy. I know that at other times, I won't be empathetic or generous. These are not vices to conquer in a day or week, but as these deeply rooted habits and traits are attacked, they will weaken until it is easier to shrug off their hold on me. I am sowing these virtues in my life. Through watering the virtues, weeding out the vices, and taking the time to cultivate those things that are good and noble, these good traits will be strengthened in my life.

This is my plan for 2018. There will be hard days. There will be failures and mistakes, but I know that these desires will please God and His strength will give me the courage to get back up after failing and to try again after falling short.

Now it is your turn to ask yourselves these questions:
What vice in my life should I leave behind in 2017?
What virtue should I cultivate and add into my life in 2018?
Who is a trusted person in my life that I can ask for their honest opinion on my vices and virtues?

Examining Christmas Traditions

Christmas time is a time of tradition. We need to ask ourselves some questions:
Where do all of these traditions come from?
Why should we incorporate them?
Which traditions are secular and which traditions are sacred?
What traditions started off as sacred, but have become secular over time?

When we blindly accept traditions without examining them, our holidays start to get a little bulky. The meaningful can get buried and smothered in the louder and more prolific traditions. We let our lives and schedules become so over-full with good things that they push the best things off to the margins or out of the picture completely.

Following tradition for the sake of tradition is not the way to a meaningful and joyful life. Doing something because that's the way that it always has been done gets to be pretty exhausting.

Sometimes we need to clear off our proverbial traditions table and prayerfully examine which ones we should add back and faithfully incorporate. We need to ask them and God why they should be in our lives.

This beast of a Christmas season is overwhelming, chaotic, and going at an insane pace. I suggest that we, as Christians, perform a Christmas season reboot. Shut down the season. Then prayerfully and intentionally add back only those traditions that are meaningful and point us to Christ. Then we will finally find peace on earth in the prince of peace. Then we will have the space for the traditions that really matter.

Be warned, not everyone in our lives will appreciate that we are not following the popular culture's path. Some people will get upset that you are not jumping through all of society's hoops. Frankly, will we choose to obey God's instructions or will we follow man's traditions? We can't do both. We have to choose.

So let us interrogate all of our Christmas traditions and ask them how do they glorify and worship Christ. We may be left with fewer traditions, but they will point us and others to the true meaning of Christmas.

Below are some questions that we can use to start examining our traditions so we can set aside the merely good for the best traditions out there:

What do our decorations mean? (i.e. the candles, trees, tinsel, angels, Santa, stars, elves, nativity, reindeer, lights, and snowmen)
Should we incorporate Elf on the Shelf?
What messages do our seasonal songs send? (both the secular and the sacred)
Should we visit Santa in the mall or write him a letter?
Should we go caroling? Why or why not?
Should we go look at lights and decorations?
Should we attend a Christmas Eve service or a live nativity?
What's the point of baking all the Christmas goodies?
With whom should we share our baking?
Do we take the time to read the Christmas story & meditate on its truth?
What Christmas movies should we watch? (both the secular & sacred options)
Do we have an Advent calendar? What does it look like?
What would be a good meal for Christmas dinner? Who should be invited to share it with us?
Who should we give presents/gifts to? What should we give?
Should we use an Advent wreath and candles?
Should this season be one of hustle & bustle, or of quieter & simpler activities?
Should we send Christmas cards?

What other traditions do we have in this Christmas season? Should we keep them or set some aside?