All I Want for Christmas

Spending time with family, especially for the last few days of 2018 has been a great blessing. It has been very fulfilling, spending time with my nephew and niece, who prior to this time, were only available to me for a few hours a year. One comment my nephew is very fond of saying is, "No, I don't want it." Just short of four years though,  he is unable to distinguish the fact that his desires are not necessarily the right desires, especially given the context of the common good, or even the desires of his parents. He seems to think that everyone should conform to his every whim, no matter the desire.

While this immaturity has produced its fair share of humorous moments, my mind does not drift afar from the obvious analogy between what I want, and what God wants, at any given moment.

As the Christmas Octave finally draws to a close, the recurring theme is that desire by itself is not sufficient. A correctly ordered will is a real thing. It is not enough to want something simply speaking for that thing to be the best good for us. All things desirable are good, but may not good for that particular moment, or maybe even good for us in general.

Frustrated desires for sure can cause a great deal of anxiety, perplexity, and even resentment. But prayer, the use of reason, and perhaps underappreciated of all, a healthy dose of patience, can hopefully correct a will to desire only the best things at the best possible time, in the best possible context. So while there is only a day left of the Christmas Octave, all I want for Christmas, is to want correctly.