Posts tagged “Christmas”
December 23, 2015 1 Comment

Wisdom from Christmas’s Past

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The holidays are uniquely wonderful, in that they are (to name a few) a reminder of that which is most important in life, they bring loved ones and families together, there is a lot of giving going on, and the music and decorations are cool. (Well, most of the music and decorations.) The holidays are uniquely challenging, too, in that they remind us (to also name a few) how far we have drifted from that which is most important in life, they bring families together, in spite of the anger and pain directed at each other during the past year, there is a lot of taking going on, and the music and decorations are .  .  . well .  .  . cheesy. Over the last several years, The Better Plan blog has addressed the holidays through the lens of choice theory. The links to these posts are included below. May they be a help during this wonderful time of the year!

 

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New Year Resolutions were covered in –

I’m Makin a Change, Dagnabit! Pt. 1

Dagnabit! Pt. 2

 

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Keeping our eyes on the Reason for the Season was covered in –

Choice Theory and Christmas

 

The S actually stands for Self-Control.

The S actually stands for Self-Control.

 

The challenges that so many face during the holidays, and how choice theory can help, was covered in –

The Holidays Require All of Our Choice Theory Superpowers

 

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Here’s a heads up on a link worthy of your attention. Dr. David Hanscom, the spine surgeon who writes so effectively about the Mind Body Connection, shares his thoughts on, what for many is, the pain of the holidays –

Happy Holidays – Not

Choice theory certainly affirms the importance of the mind body connection. We are, as the Bible says, “fearfully and wonderfully made.” How the mind affects the body, and vice versa, continues to be studied, even as answers remain elusive. For me, it is clear that our ability to make choices when it comes to our thoughts and our behavior is a key to our living in balance. Life is difficult, and there is no way around it. For some, the holidays distract us from the difficulty, while for others they do just the opposite. In either case, choice theory can help. Check out the links above. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Seek gratitude. Reach out to others.

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The Glasser biography, Champion of Choice, is a good read. Really. The book traces the development of Reality Therapy and its connection to Control Theory, as well as control theory ultimately becoming Choice Theory. A unique self-help book!

The book that connects the dots of William Glasser's ideas and his career.

The book that connects the dots of William Glasser’s ideas and his career.

 
December 24, 2013 10 Comments

Choice Theory and Christmas

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I have been thinking about choice theory and Christmas and I have come to the conclusion that they are wonderfully connected!

My logic goes like this. Christmas marks the moment that God gave up His riches and glory to become one of us with our weakness and poverty. He entered a literal battlefield, a war zone, as a vulnerable, tiny baby. The Christ Child was the Commander of heaven’s armies, though, and He ultimately came to wreak havoc on the enemy’s schemes. Luke described how the choir that announced the Child’s arrival to the shepherds was actually made up of “the armies of heaven.” (Luke 2:13, 14) This incredible display was God’s way of saying Game On. And John declares that –

“The Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8

The works of the devil are bad news. Driven by his hatred of everything for which God stood, he would do everything he could to deface and hurt God’s creation. Having already lured over a third of the angels to distrust God and join him in forming a new government, he focused on convincing us, the crowning work of God’s creative power, to distrust God, too. We chose to believe the devil, to seek a higher place, to go our own way, to align ourselves with a new, alternative government. A void was formed between humans and their Creator and fear and insecurity rushed in to fill the space. Instead of the self-control with which we were created, the devil took advantage of our allegiance to him and sought to capture us in his trap, to chain us within his dungeon, to addict us in behaviors from which their appeared no escape.

How fortunate for us that when the Commander Child arrived in the humble Bethlehem stable it was in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. Thirty years later, as Commander Messiah, He would read this prophecy in the synagogue as a declaration of His mission.

“I have come to release the captives and set the prisoners free.” Isaiah 61:1

God’s government is based on freedom, on the power to choose, on the ability to be in control of our thinking and behavior. Immanuel-the God with us Child-came to win back our freedom to choose, to level an unfair playing field, to give us back to ourselves.

The manger and the cross were one from the beginning. The Child was born in the shadow of death. Yet by His death we are healed, the shackles are unlocked, the prisons of our lives are opened. Through His Spirit we are free.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind.” 2Tim. 1:7

This freedom, this power to choose, this ability to be who you want to be, is so important to God that He was willing to give up everything to insure its future. Freedom was and is His universal non-negotiable.

Choice theory explains how we are motivated from within for reasons that are uniquely personal to us, and that we choose to behave in a way that we think will best meet our needs at that moment. How incredible that God would create us with this kind of autonomy! Let Christmas be a reminder of the freedom that God created us with, and also of His return to redeem us as Commander Child.

Game on at the manger!

Game won at the cross!

We are free!

Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised as he was. Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. Romans 6:5-7

(This post was a re-print from last Christmas, but I don’t think many of you saw it.)

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Workshop Ideas – Several of you indicated how much you appreciated the Coca Cola commercial that was shared in the last blog, and suggestions for how the commercial clip could be used in a workshop setting include –

Let participants know that you are going to show a commercial and that you want them to look for a choice theory message in the clip. Ask participants to share their ideas afterward.

Let participants know that you are going to show a commercial about a young couple raising a young child and that the clip is made up of short vignettes. Their assignment is to consider which of the vignettes contains the most powerful choice theory moment. Or which of the vignettes would especially tempt a parent to resort to stimulus-response, reward-punishment?

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Merry Christmas to all, and to all good night!
December 25, 2012 6 Comments

Christmas and Choice Theory

I have been thinking about Christmas and choice theory and I have come to the conclusion that they are wonderfully connected!

My logic goes like this. Christmas marks the moment that God gave up His riches and glory to become one of us with our weakness and poverty. He entered a literal battlefield, a war zone, as a vulnerable, tiny baby. The Christ Child was the Commander of heaven’s armies, though, and He ultimately came to wreak havoc on the enemy’s schemes. Luke described how the choir that announced the Child’s arrival to the shepherds was actually made up of “the armies of heaven.” Luke 2:13, 14 This incredible display was God’s way of saying Game On. And John declares that “The Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8

The works of the devil are bad news. Driven by his hatred of God’s Son, the same Child Commander who would eventually arrive in a smelly stable in Bethlehem, he would do everything he could to deface and hurt God’s creation. Having already lured over a third of the angels to distrust God and join him in forming a new government, he focused on convincing us, the crowning work of God’s creative power, to distrust God, too. We chose to believe the devil, to seek a higher place, to go our own way, to align ourselves with the new, alternative government. A void was formed between humans and their Creator and the attributes of the new government–fear and insecurity–rushed in to fill this space. Instead of the self-control with which we were created, the devil took advantage of our allegiance to him and sought to capture us in his trap, to chain us within his dungeon, to addict us in behaviors from which their appeared no escape.

How fortunate for us that when the Commander Child arrived in the humble Bethlehem stable it was in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. Thirty years later, as Commander Messiah, He would read this prophecy in the synagogue as a declaration of His mission. “I have come to release the captives and set the prisoners free.” Isaiah 61:1 God’s government is based on freedom, on the power to choose, on the ability to be in control of our thinking and behavior. Immanuel-the God with us Child-came to win back our freedom to choose, to level an unfair playing field, to give us back to ourselves.

The manger and the cross were one from the beginning. The Child was born in the shadow of death. Yet by His death we are healed, the shackles are unlocked, the prisons of our lives are opened. Through His Spirit we are free. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind.” 2Tim. 1:7 This freedom, this power to choose, this ability to be who you want to be, is so important to God that He was willing to give up everything to insure its future. It was and is a universal non-negotiable.

Choice theory explains how we are motivated from within for reasons that are uniquely personal to us, and that we choose to behave in a way that we think will best meet our needs at that moment. How incredible that God would create us with this kind of autonomy.! Let Christmas be a reminder of the freedom that God not only created us with, but also of His return to redeem us as Commander Child. Game on at the manger! Game won at the cross! We are free!

Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised as he was. Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. Romans 6:5-7

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