It still catches me by surprise. All the busy energy of the Christmas season comes to a sudden stop. As the holiday slips away, the joy of advent gives way to an all-too-familiar sense of gloom. Experts refer to this as the “post-holiday blues” and it affects a surprising large number of us.

When our normal-paced lives follow the holiday hustle and bustle, we feel what is known as “the contrasting effect”. Processing such extremely contrasting experiences causes us to enhance the differences between them. So the days following Christmas can seem bleak and boring.

One way to fight through these blues is to create goals and plans for our future. Traditionally, this takes the form of New Year Resolutions. But it can also be as simple as selecting a focus- in the form of a word or Bible verse.

Last year, I kept my focus on Jesus and prayed to seek Him in everything. Keeping my eyes on Jesus gave me the strength and courage I needed to face some of the unique challenges of 2020. 

As I began this process for 2021, I found inspiration from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Although I’ve seen numerous film adaptations of the story, reading the original text gave me some fresh insights. 

If you are familiar with the story, you know Scrooge received three Christmas spirits: the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Each of these spirits gave Scrooge a new perspective.

By revisiting Christmas memories, the Ghost of Christmas Past helped Scrooge see what truly matters: our relationships with the people in our lives.

The Ghost of Christmas Present showed Scrooge how people from all walks of life celebrate Christmas. Through these experiences, Scrooge realized wealth does not create happiness unless it is shared with others.

Finally, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come reminded Scrooge the decisions we make today will form our future. We can change tomorrow’s outcome by making wiser choices.

After these visitations, Scrooge resolved to always remember the lessons received from the three Christmas spirits. As Dickens closes his novel, he notes Scrooge kept his word and became known to all as a man who knew how to keep Christmas alive.

As I reflected on Scrooge’s decision to direct his steps according to the lessons of the Christmas spirits, I uncovered my own focus for 2021. Like Scrooge, my focus for 2021 is to be Spirit-led. 

Even after faithfully following Jesus for more than thirty years, I can still fall into the trap of relying on my own strength. I know Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to help us (John 14:16-17), but my self-driven personality struggles to tap into His power.  

In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul reminds us we can not achieve maturity in Christ through our own human efforts. Because of this, the Apostle Paul advises us: 

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)

As we move into 2021, I pray to learn how to keep in step with the Spirit as I continue to fix my eyes on Jesus. Whatever you choose for your focus, I pray it brings you closer to the One who empowers us.