Did you know that there was a “War on Christmas”?

Seriously, there’s a “War on Christmas”.

It’s occurring in most churches. It breaks out in many hearts this time of year. Christmas is when we go out and buy friends and family lots of gifts. We spend lots of money on things people don’t need and some don’t even really want. A few of us even go to church on Christmas Eve and that makes us feel spiritual about spending all that money.

When you look around at everything that we are inundated with every single day it’s clear what Christmas is all about. It’s about giving and receiving stuff.

The war that is happening is happening in each heart. Some are uncomfortable with the battle that is happening in their heart and so they look for an enemy on the outside. That’s when some go to “war” with the “world”. Bemoaning the fact that “Christmas” parties at schools have become “Holiday” parties or that “Christmas” is written as “Xmas”. They think this is the “War on Christmas”.

The real war on Christmas is what happens in our hearts every day throughout the year. We are at war with our own selfish and self-centered hearts. We battle within and it makes us uncomfortable. We don’t like to feel that way. When we are faced with those realities we can do one of two things. We can either embrace them, confess, and repent or we can stuff them and project.

Based on what I see in the media and news, I think most of us are stuffing and projecting.

The War on Christmas is not being perpetrated by “those” people, whomever they are. It is being perpetrated by us, whomever “us” may be. Our own hearts are at war with themselves.

The War on Christmas is real. It’s just not being fought where you think it is.

Originally published on December 11, 2014