Christmas is an Accommodation
The first Christmas is God adapting to humanity. Representatives of Church-world like to talk about adjusting our attitudes and behaviors to God. But Christmas is an accommodation.
Accommodation overcomes distance.
Thank you for being my friend:
Accommodation allows relationship.
Yesterday I said, “Thank you for being my friend,” to a long-time friend. It struck me that he accommodates me.
I like to think that I accommodate him. It feels superior. The uncomfortable truth is, he puts up with me.
“Putting up with” is a less comfortable expression for accommodation.
The people around you put up with your irritating qualities, perhaps more than you would like to acknowledge. They make adjustments for your strengths, weaknesses, and quirks.
Lasting relationships smell of accommodation. On the other hand, when accommodation dies, so do relationships.
The language of accommodation includes:
- Celebration of difference. You don’t have to be like me for us to have a relationship.
- Compassion for struggle. Situations that are easy for you are difficult for others.
- Challenge that stretches another but doesn’t reject them.
Accommodation today:
Muslim and Jewish readers are practicing accommodation right now, along with anyone reading this post who doesn’t celebrate Christmas. Even though Santa often replaces Jesus, Christmas is a Christian holiday.
Those of you celebrating Christmas may be accommodating others right now. Perhaps you’re putting up with a relative you don’t like. Congratulations! You might not feel noble, but adapting is god-like.
Stop accommodating:
You can’t accommodate everyone. I remember reading an essay about a town that built a kitchen for a group of cannibals. You know what happened.
Those who don’t add value to organizational mission and vision might be good people, but don’t adapt to them. Be kind, but not accommodating.
Merry Christmas, Dan!
Dear Dan,
A well written post reflecting inner feelings of like-mindedness while accepting the finer side of a person by way of accommodation.
It happens with a few and is a crux of the long-term relationship. The world is full of smart people who are intelligent but lack on sincerity, honesty & trustworthiness. We build on our intimacy & relations with only the select ones who are considerate and caring all the time.
Great food for thought during Christmas and everyday. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, Dan. This sounds like a post about acceptance and tolerance. There are so many reasons to count our blessings, or fortunes, and to see good in others. Thanks for serving us with insightful, motivating blogs in 2017.
I agree. Well said. Thanks
Terrific message Dan. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Good thought but severely inaccurate. God is the same today as He always has been and the way He always will be. God doesn’t adapt to humanity. He calls humanity to surrender to Him. The benifit He offers equally to all, is the gift of eternal life through His only begotten Son, Jesus.
God’s most significant accommodation was sending his son Jesus to die for our sins. There was a disconnection through Adam. Therefore, we needed an intercessor (accommodation) – Jesus. You are correct in saying God is the same as he was yesterday. His LOVE is the same – still forgiving, blessing despite our faults.
Great article Dan! As a special education administrator, accommodations are made for students with disabilities based on their IEP daily…Hmmm, based on this article, I can conclude that accommodations are universal strategies designed to help us to get along with one another and live a harmonious life. It’s essential.
We should all live as Christ, putting others first, by being accommodating, But we must not tolerate wrong or overlook injustice for the sake of “Tolerance”. We must be forgiving and long suffering but we must always see Truth as Truth. Never overlook injustice for the sake of tolerance or accommodations.