Glaring...or gazing

         So here's how life's going down around here lately--
         The other day, I had the joy of eating lunch with my wonderful sister, Mary Norris, and our dear friend, Ellen, for Mary Norris' birthday.  Now keep in mind that though I'm a terribly challenged organizer and plan-aheader, I had (semi-miraculously) managed to purchase, wrap, and load all their Christmas and birthday presents (including the ones for my other  wonderful sister, Jane and my equally fabulous niece) into our car the night before. Please notice I had done it a day ahead of time.  I'd even baked a home-made birthday cake...Martha Stewart's got nothing on yours truly.  I might even had begun feeling a bit smug and self-righteous that I'd been so on task and prepared.  Hmm.  I seem to recall a verse about "pride goeth before a fall."
         Yeah, well, like I said, the three of us had a ball at lunch, and afterward, we exchanged presents.           Wait.  Let me rephrase that.  My sister "exchanged" Christmas presents.
         Ms. Organization here took out the cake to put it in my sister's car...and left it sitting on top of a newspaper stand outside the restaurant.  And all those presents in my backseat?  In the mad rush to get things in our cars in the midst of a heavy rain, I left every blessed gift still sitting in my backseat.  A minor fact which I discovered when I arrived back into Raleigh.  So much for planning ahead.
         We (sort of) laughed about it later...well, at least they laughed. I wanted to scream.  Though to my sister's ever-loving credit, she did go back to the little strip center and found my cake still sitting there on the newspaper stand some 30 minutes later, so all was not lost.
        But seriously, what a picture of this stressed-out, crazy busy time of year when we're all overloaded and desperately trying to do, do, do from dawn to dusk...often resulting in mess-ups and blow-ups.
        By the way, I learned an incredibly valuable bit of information the other day.  Did you know that the word "stressed" is actually "desserts" spelled backward?  So there's your antidote for Christmas craziness.  Consider this your permission to stop reading this instant and go eat a cookie or a large slice of cake.
         Other than massive quantities of chocolate, what's the solution?
         Stop fixating on all the presents and start to focus on the The Present.
         Pause long enough to look to Jesus and worship...rather than rushing and fussing and worrying.          Because if we don't stop and come apart from the world and look to the Savior, well, we truly will come apart at the seams.  I'm ample proof of that.
        But here's the remarkable, wondrous thing: His grace truly is sufficient.  His grace is always available.  His grace is abundant. And His grace is oh-so glorious.  Because though we mess up time and again, when we simply come to the end of our silly selves and turn to Him, He forgives.  He refreshes.  He restores.  He reveals.  And He loves.
        Oh, how He loves.
        And so finally, finally, I stopped and listened.  Here I sit in our living room, drinking the Living Water and finding that thirst I didn't even know I had, completely satisfied and filled to overflowing.  Worship can happen right here, right now.

        Yep, I still have about a zillion things to do.  And yep, I'm still pretty much a disorganized mess with a serious memory problem.  And yep, I've failed even just this very day in more ways than I can count...but I have a Savior who loves me so much that He relinquished the infinite joys and glories of heaven to come down--so, so far down--to this broken, dark world.  He came as a helpless infant to be born, to live, to die, to defeat sin and death, and to rise again to resurrection life.  Even for the likes of me.  And you.   And, by the way, for that annoying friend...or difficult family member...or selfish co-worker.
        Oh might we never, ever tire of hearing the beautiful words of His coming!  "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."(Lk 2:10-11)
       The Light has come into the darkness.  The Son has come to bring life.  The Savior has come that you might experience faith instead of fear, joy instead of sorrow, peace instead of restlessness, hope instead of despair, and strength instead of weakness.
        Or, as He explained so succinctly, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."  (John 10:10)
       Can we just remind each other--stop listening to those lying voices of "Hurry!" "Worry!" "What if?" "What now?"  Instead, let's listen to Him.  Let's listen to Truth.  Let's listen to the Word made flesh.  He came to give you life--abundant, full, whole, joyful, restful, real life.
       Stop glaring at your to-do list or your worries, and gaze at Him.  Today.  Now.  And find Life.
       To God be the glory.