While Charles and I were coordinating calendars, thoughts, and trying to communicate expectations of each other during this season. As I begin to anticipate the activity of the next couple of months, there is one word that keeps coming back to me again and again. Pause. And there is one place in scripture that speaks to me. And Mary pondered all these things in her heart. I always have high hopes of taking more time for prayer and reflection, like all the Advent/Christmas books, sermons, and devotionals suggest. There are two Me's that fight for my attention this time of year. There is the June- Cleaver- Christmas- Angel- Me that can smile through Advent with my pearls and heels, smile through every day, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, decorating sugar cookies, never ceasing to pray, never missing a daily devotional, and loving every glitter-infused project that comes home from school. And then there is the Rosanne- Barr- Bahh Hum Bug-Me who is happy with the store bought cookies, who maybe reads a devotional once or twice a week during Advent, who makes macaroni and cheese, with red and green sprinkles, for Christmas Eve dinner, served on Valentine's Day paper plates (they're red and Jesus is born in our hearts, right), who gets her Christmas cards out by the end of January, and who is happy to read The Night Before Christmas the day after Christmas. I aim for June, try to limit Rosanne, and have learned to be content with a happy blend of the two of them.
My only intention this Christmas season is to pause. To just stop once in awhile and remember how absolutely wonderful it is to have three healthy children to celebrate Christmas with. To pause and remember how fantastic it is to hear them laugh and ask me for the twentieth time When does Christmas get here? To pause and take in the scene of all of us decorating the tree together and choosing which ornaments we get to put on the tree. To just stop and feel it, and cherish it, because it is all a thin mist, a scene that will evaporate all too quickly. I just want to pause and say thank you to my husband who never knows whether he is going to get June or Rosanne in November and December, and doesn't really care, who still throws his arms around me, gives me a kiss, and loves me anyway. I just want to remember to stop now and then, look at the dusty nativity, and feel my savior, saving me from my insane self. I hope to pause and think about the words in my favorite Christmas song, instead of just hearing it in the background.
Thank God the spirit of the season is for every day of the year. We are not "Christmas- Busy" all year long, and God is just as present and active January through next December as He is this coming holiday season. And that means the Christmas grace is always available. The loving, redeeming, all-powerful God that is so present in our hymns, our Christmas pageants, our nativities, and our giving to those in need is just as palpable in February as December 25th. We wait for Jesus to come into the world all through Advent and God waits for us to allow Him to enter our world, every moment of every day. God doesn't choose a season to be more present or attentive to us in the way that we choose to give more attention and energy to God at certain times of the year. Every day we can experience the same spiritual intensity and anticipation of God's coming into our hearts as we do on Christmas morning.
So we can relax, and simply remember to pause now and then and say "Thank you, God, for understanding what we all go through during the holiday season. Thank you for waiting for me, while I wait for You." While standing in line waiting to pay for the gifts, pause. While you are waiting for the last batch of cookies to come out of the oven, pause. While you are sealing the envelopes of your Christmas cards, pause. While you wait in line at the UPS store, with your gifts to be made ready for shipping, pause.
While you watch your favorite Christmas movie with your family, close your eyes for a minute, and pause. It is enough to know that God waits for us on the other side of the holidays, hovering over us, and loving us even more because He knows how busy you are. God "gets it". No pressures from God, only the ones we place on ourselves. He knows how tired you are. He knows every last detail of your life, and blesses every last detail. A simple, "Help me, God, get this right, and get this done!" not only applies to our endless Christmas list, but it was the prayer that the entire world said before Jesus arrived. "Help us, God, get this right and get it done!" And he sent Jesus. Pause, and say, Jesus, and you will get it right, and done!
Happy Thanksgiving to my family and friends, to all who take the time to pause and read this blog, here in the United States and around the world...Russia, thank you for reading. Brazil, thank you for reading. Germany, thank you for reading. Italy, thank you for reading. Great Britain, thank you for reading. Indonisia, China, South America...thank you! I'm thankful for each and every one of you and I pray for you all every day. Your support in the form of comments, messages and prayers keeps my heart "feasting" on the love of God and sustains me through the holidays!
God of Our Time and Our Lists,
I know the better part of this busy season
is to spend time quiet time with You,
but I find myself preoccupied with the endless list
of needs and obligations.
Thank you, God, that you patiently wait for me.
Thank you, God, that you understand and are
merciful at what the world has made the holidays into.
Help me say "yes" when I should, and
"no" when I should not take something else on.
And every now and then, help me
sneak in a little time to feel your love and your help,
which you are always so ready to give.
I love you, God. I love how you understand my busy life. Amen.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4: 15-16
The Lord God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will
take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love.
Zephaniah 3: 17
Reflect on Your Life
1. Is there anything you can say "no " to this upcoming holiday season so that you can do something more mindfully and with greater joy?
2. How are you going to take care of yourself through the holidays?
3. What "signal" in your daily life might help remind you to "PAUSE" - maybe a watch alarm, a certain song, putting on your seatbelt, standing at the sink, a note on your bathroom mirror ?
4. Give yourself permission to: (You fill in the blank)
