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Spread The Good News

Updated: Jul 26, 2020

“And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings… And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” -Luke 1:19, 26-28

I hate complainers. I understand everyone gets in those moods where they can’t help but rant a little now and again, but the ones who have something negative to say every time they open their mouth? Yeah, not a fan.


A few years ago, I was really close friends with one of those people. She was a good person and a lot of fun to be around, but each time we got together it was something new. Actually, it was really like knowing a walking, talking country song where the truck breaks down and the dog dies except the dog died while driving the broken down truck and it happened every day. If she broke a nail or snagged her jeans it was news that the whole world needed to know and man, oh, man did she make sure the whole world (i.e. me) knew it.


It’s no secret that I have opinions and I’m not afraid to voice them. I remember one evening we were headed somewhere in the car and she was on a rant session about something (there was so much complaining that went on that the topics sort of mashed together in my head). I was fed up with her whining so I asked her, point blank, “So, do you have anything good to say or is your whole life falling apart?”


Luckily, I had a strong enough relationship with her at the time that she didn’t deck me. Our friendship was never quite the same after that (due to a mixture of going to college, different friend groups, and my decision to not put up with her complaining going forward), but calling her out for her BS made me think about the choice we have each day.


What news are you going to spread?


When God sent Gabriel to Mary it was to share the good news. Not the whiny news. Not the complain-y news. Not the bad news. The good news. When we complain, it’s usually not about things that are really that bad. Instead, we usually frame inconveniences as burdens that we can’t go on with. I get it, and I’m guilty of it. When you hit a snag in the plan, it can feel like everything is thrown off. You run out of wrapping paper on Christmas Eve and all the stores are closed. Your favorite pair of Christmas leggings are ruined when you slip on ice and fall into the mud. You burn the ham in the crock pot at family dinner. All these ailments are aided by your verbal discontentment.


How different would the story of the nativity be if Gabriel had come complaining to Mary about the news that was shared?


How much different of tone would’ve been set if Gabriel went: “You’re a virgin but you’re still going to have a kid and you don’t really have a choice so get ready, I guess.”


In the nativity, Gabriel had one simple job to do but it was the one that set the stage for the rest of the events: to spread joy and good tidings. This season, I invite you to channel your inner Gabriel and spread the good news. Instead of complaining about your aunt after the family Christms, ask her how her new job is. When you feel like bitching to your grandma about how awful your grades were this semester, tell her about all of the cool things you learned in class. If you feel like gossiping about your extended family with your cousin, grab a board game and have some fun. You catching the drift?


We get to choose the news we spread every day. This holiday season, choose to spread the good news.

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