This coming Sunday, October 25, marks exactly two months until Christmas.

 

But walk into almost any store right now and you will find holiday tinsel competing with pumpkins for shelf space. It is only late October, yet the retail machine is already in full gear. We joke about this holiday creep, but it also triggers a subtle, subconscious panic.

 

The store displays make us feel like we are already running late for a day that hasn't even arrived, prompting us to constantly live in the next season. We are hardwired to look for the next thing that promises joy, relief, or a fresh start. But when we rush the calendar, we miss life happening right now.

 

The deeper meaning of this season was never about sprinting to a finish line. It was about learning how to wait. In ancient times, people sat in anticipation, holding onto hope when the world felt heavy or chaotic. The Bible in the Old Testament has a beautiful piece of scripture from Isaiah 9:2 which speaks directly to this human experience: "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness  a light has dawned.”

 

It is a reminder that we don't have to manufacture our own joy or buy our way into peace. We just have to look for it. Maybe these next two months are not meant to be a stressful countdown. Maybe they are an invitation to slow down.

 

Don’t let the shelves rush you. Light is closer than you think, right here in October. That light is called Jesus!