The first day of December dawns a beauty here in Raleigh. Sunny, warm, a break from some of those chilly, wet days of last week. And so this weekend, we began the annual trek...the trek, that is, up and down the stairs again and again as we packed up Thanksgiving and unpacked Christmas.
So today, I'm thinking, "Father, don't let me 'pack up' a continuously thankful heart and attitude towards You and Your outrageous grace and goodness in my life." We might have packed away Thanksgiving stuff, but oh my, let's don't pack away thankful spirits. We need to have thankful songs on autorepeat in our hearts, otherwise the busyness of Christmas threatens to chisel away at that gratitude and replace it with grumpiness. Lord, might our homes be places permeated with that a tangible attitude of gratitude and rejoicing at Your coming...not an atmosphere of restlessness and harried rushing to get it all done.
Yep, pack up Thanksgiving, but not thankfulness. And then time to unpack...
Unpacking Advent means doing some unloading. Unloading that insanity of seeking some mythical, impossible standard of the perfect Christmas. Unloading the sin of comparison--whether comparing families, spouses, homes, health, or even Advent traditions! (Ever wish your family could "get it together," gather around glowing candles and have those perfect, meaningful, nightly devotions you read about? Sometimes the reality doesn't quite cut it, especially with busy, distracted teenagers.)
But here's the thing--comparison inevitably leads to either pride (surely the ugliest of all sins) or jealousy (well, just as ugly as pride if you ask me). Comparison does nothing but imprison us in a dark dungeon of endless striving, discontentment, and envy. Strips us of joy. Robs us of peace. Steals our enjoyment of the people we love and the moments we have with them. And worst of all, distracts us from savoring and adoring our Savior.
Who wants all that mess? None of us...yet how often we relentlessly chase after that which ultimately impoverishes our souls.
By the grace of God, not this Christmas!
Let's daily choose to focus not upon that which surrounds us but upon our Savior. Jettison comparison and savor the Savior. Forgo endless striving and love the precious people God has so graciously loaned us for these few short years.
If you knew this was your last Christmas, what would you do differently? What activities and chores might you eliminate? What people would you be sure to enjoy? What would you say to them? What moments would you most cherish this Advent and Christmas if you knew for sure this would be your last one on this earth? Would you spend more time worrying about getting and giving all the right gifts or worshipping the glorious Gift of all Gifts?
Okay, well then, do it. Do it this Christmas. Eliminate the extraneous. Truly enjoy your loved ones. Cherish and savor the moments--don't let them slip by unnoticed and unappreciated. And worship the Savior-Warrior-Baby. If we do nothing else this Christmas, oh might we daily come and adore Him, Christ the Lord! He is so infinitely worthy.
To God be the glory.
No comments:
Post a Comment