day 1036: Holiday Parties

"So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can."

Tonight is the prime night for seasonal holiday office parties.  All across the country today there will be assistants and event planners getting ready for the "big night".  For some, it is the event of the year and they are excited about dressing up and having a night out without the kids.  For others, going to the annual party is a requirement and they dread having to attend.  But, all the same, it is great for people to get together outside of work and to share some good time together.  Each time this year, we can read also about the career  warnings of the annual parties and what behaviors are accepted and which are not.  Inevitably there will be that one person who has too much of the fun and ends up with an appointment with HR on Monday.  I was once taught that nothing good in our careers happens after 9:00pm.  I think this rings very true for the holiday party, or for any party outside of work when co-workers are in attendance.

God has given us this life to enjoy and be happy, but there is a bright line that we as believers must know and hold when it comes to the fun in this life.  At the holiday party, there will be others watching to see how we behave and handle ourselves when the party starts.  Of course, we can have fun, but if we stray from our self-control and act in a way that is unfitting of the example that we work so diligently each day to build and maintain, then we not only let ourselves and God down, but we run the risk of causing someone else who has been watching and evaluating whether or not this life is for them, to turn away and be jaded and cynical about what it means to be a believer.  So, have fun but also remember that tonight's celebration and this season is about the birth of Jesus and that we are at His birthday party.  How would we celebrate if He was in attendance?

Reference: Ecclesiastes 3:12 (New Living Translation)