Are you ready? Christmas is family. Ready, set, go.
Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. This was Jesus' counsel in Matthew's gospel. Today, we're going to explore what it means to become like children again. Welcome back to Best Christmas Ever, where we are exploring 28 ways to make this your best Christmas ever. Number 8 is Rediscover Childhood. Nobody experiences the unmitigated joy of Christmas like children. Being a father has been an amazing blessing on my life. It has transformed me in unimaginable ways. Every day, my children teach me new lessons. So, when I think about how we might rediscover childhood this Christmas, I'm immediately drawn to two enduring lessons.
Play is the first. Children find a way to make everything a game. Gamification comes naturally to them. They run and laugh. They hide and seek. They sing and dance and make everything into an adventurous game. A couple of years ago, I was going through a very difficult and stressful situation and a friend said to me, "Find a way to have fun with it. Find a way to turn it into a game." At first, his advice seemed bizarre, given the nature of the situation. Then it seemed impossible, but I've done it. Not at every point along the way. But when I have been able to make it an adventure, to make it fun, the burden of the situation has been significantly decreased. Children know how to play. Do you? George Bernard Shaw wrote, "We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing." The second lesson children teach us effortlessly is timelessness. They don't ask, "What time is it?" They live in the bliss of timelessness. They inhabit the eternal now. They reverence the precious present. So, this Christmas, put your watch away and make a point to play.
Wait, before you go, my dad has one more tip, and you're not going to want to miss this.
It's not easy to have a great Christmas in a world where everyone is striving for what isn't worth having. Welcome back to 28 obstacles that will prevent you from having your best Christmas ever. Obstacle number 8 is non-essentials. The tyranny of the many in a world of unlimited opportunities and possibilities is overwhelming us and exhausting us. The burden of all the non-essential nonsense will destroy your Christmas. Identify what is essential and focus on that. Liberation is to be found in the vital few, those few things that really matter. But remember, find your joy, guard your joy, follow your joy, not just happiness. It seems our culture has confused happiness with comfort. And following comfort will lead you to misery. Find your joy. Cherish your joy. Guard your joy. And follow your joy.
If you liked the video, you'll love my new book, Slowing Down to the Speed of Joy. The incessant speed of our lives isn't healthy. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it. The ever-increasing busyness of our lives is insane. Everyone knows it. It's time to eliminate urgent, busy, and hurry from our everyday lives. It's time to slow down to the speed of joy. It's time to take our lives back. Right now, when you become a Dynamic Catholic Ambassador, we will send you a free copy of Slowing Down to the Speed of Joy. Click the button to join and get your copy today.
Have a great day!
