Christmas wish:
A most anticipated time of year.
Perfectly decorated house. Goodies baking. Hot Chocolate simmering.
Smiles on faces. Love and kindness abound.
A season of beauty, wonder ... magic.
A time where the heart-soul and thoughts are
directed toward others - giving, loving, sharing.
A time when we focus a little deeper on
the meaning of it all.
Him. "The reason for the season."
Reality:
Gift-list's - low funds.
Goodies to make - 2 days already in the making. Feet, body, brain exhausted.
Christmas program to set up for. 2 days setting up.
Nerves on edge ... and not just mine.
The market. The decor store. Tree's to get up - 4 days stringing lights.
Crowds. People everywhere. More crowds. Smiles on faces - very few.
Food in the crockpot early a.m. for said Christmas program.
Hours of practicing for said Christmas program.
Christmas piano recital in between it all.
Music to purchase and burn on c.d.'s for upcoming Nativity Festival.
Taxing daughter to and from weekly choir practice for Natitivty Festival.
3 dozen cookies to bake for said Natitivty Festival.
Heavy life challenges in addition to all above mentioned.
Normal daily house chores in addition to all above mentioned.
Stress building like a pressure cooker ... steam ... the whistle ...
And then I see it.
Stops me dead in my tracks:
I take a long deep - in the depths of my soul - breath.
I want to be wise for the very purpose it reads. I long for it. I wish for it.
Can I make this my Christmas wish.
The one and only thing on my "list?"
I stand right where this most meaningful -
heaven sent message just for me, in this very moment for such a time as this -
stops me still.
Still.
Isn't there is a scripture that says something
about being still,
and know that I am God?
How does one be still amidst the chaos that WE create
at this time of year?
How can I be wise and continue to
seek Him
through it all? Daily? Hourly ... minute by minute ...
and create heaven-seconds.
I begin to slow-walk, intead of my usual fast-paced hurry, hurry, hurry stride
and ponder deep.
I want to be wise and still seek Him
through it all.
My daily priority list will change - making Him first, so that everything else will naturally
and joyfully
fall into place as it should - minus the stress outlined soul within and without,
replacing it with
Peace. Reflection. Remembering Him.
Seeking Him through daily spirit-to-spirit relationship. Connection.
Through continuing, enduring and seeing with my heart-vision ...
all the gifts already in front of me - within all of the inbetween life stuff.
Seeking and seeing Him through changed vision as I see others.
In their eyes. Their heart. The way He would see them.
Through preparing, creating and making daily chores as if doing it for
Him.
Seeking Him through love spoken on the lips, to those I pass in my everyday journey.
Especially with my family.
Through stopping my self-created-chaos, and creating something meaningful,
whether it be word or action - something valuable beyond today with focus in
Him. Through writing. Prayer. Pondering. Reading. Breathing divine-deep. Loving. Feeling.
Carving moments in the day to be still.
To be in the moment with Him. Even through life struggles, because isn't that where
I need Him the most?
Seek Him, that I may avoid spiritual amnesia.
Seek Him
within daily heaven seconds.
"Whenever Christmas begins to burden,
it’s a sign that I’ve taken on something of the world
and not of Christ.
Any weight in Christmas has to be of this world."
~Ann Voskamp
