Skip to main content

Don't Miss Christmas Week!

It's Christmas week!! The week before Christmas when the countdown of mere days to Christmas Day begins.  I can vividly remember as a child Christmas week.  The excitement of knowing Christmas was almost here, doing last minute shopping with my mother and the atmosphere of joy all around. 
Now that I'm the mom, anxiety is competing against that childhood excitement.  Did I get all the presents, is the menu ready for Christmas dinner, is the house clean enough for company?  On and on the list goes and it seems like I"m running out of time.  It's almost enough to put me in panic mode!

I've allowed this attitude in years past to get the best of me.  The day after Christmas has come with me wondering "what happened to Christmas?"  With the busyness of things to do, I missed the magic of the moment. 
Years ago on the first Christmas, others 'missed it' too.  The city of Bethlehem slept, King Herod was jealous and fearful of being uprooted as king and the religious leaders of the day were filled with unbelief and busy about keeping the letter of the law.  In our day, some of these same attitudes can try to steal Christmas from us - ignorance, competition, jealousy, covetness and fear.  We can question ourselves - Are we good enough when compared to so and so?  How do my gifts/decorations/cooking compare to someone elses?  While we plod on trying to 'get it right' we often let slip the importance of Christmas.

The ones who actually did 'get it' that first Christmas were people like the shepherds, the Wise Men, the widow Ana and Simeon.  Those who were simple in heart and life but keeping their eyes and heart open to the Lord and the His splendor.  They were watching and waiting on God's promises to be fulfilled...and they saw it come to pass!
This week, may we be encouraged to slow down,  be watchful and enjoy the simple sights of Christmas.  Sitting in front of a fire with the family, hot cocoa, Christmas lights, sharing the Christmas story and keeping our heart renewed with a thankfulness for God's Greatest Gift - His Son.  As we are going and doing, may our hearts and eyes be open and alert to His blessings this special time of the year.  May His love and grace be received into our hearts and then flow out to share with others.  That's spreading true Christmas cheer!
"Then let us all with one accord sing praises to our heavenly Lord;
Who hath made heav'n and earth of naught, and with His blood, mankind hath bought."
The First Nowell
Making your home sing Mondays
Labels:

Comments

  1. Lisa GraceDecember 19, 2011 at 8:53 AM

    I know ... it's so tempting to be so busy we miss it (I talked kind of about the same thing - maybe God is trying to make a point, lol). I love the idea of being like Anna. I want to wait so eagerly for Him that when everyone else misses what is going on, I am running towards Him knowing my life's goal has been met: I have seen His face!

    ReplyDelete
  2. JackieDecember 20, 2011 at 3:52 AM

    Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Yours is lovely. I'll enjoy reading around. Blessings to you and your family this last week before Christmas!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for sharing your commment. It is a joy and blessing to hear from you and your words are appreciated.

Popular posts from this blog

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We
17 comments
Read more

Top 10 Workout DVDs

Prevention Magazine is a leader in health and fitness news and products. They recently came up with the top 10 list of workout DVDs. They have examined the many fitness DVDs out there and narrowed down a list of the best ones. There is a DVD for every fitness level. If you are looking to incorporate some exercise into your day in the convenience of your own home, take a look at this list. Here is an additional money saving tip:  If you see a DVD that you are interested in, check out Amazon or Ebay before ordering.  Many times they have pre-owned DVDs at a fraction of the cost of a new one.
1 comment
Read more

Word Filled Wednesday – Act Justly

He has shown you, O man, what is good;       And what does the LORD require of you                But to do justly, To love mercy,       And to walk humbly with your God?    Micah 6:8 Sometimes we struggle so hard with the question “What does God want us to do and be?”  This verse is a simple yet powerful reminder of some simple things that God requires of us.  Act and do justly, love mercy and walk humbly before God.  There are numerous opportunities each day to do justly, to do the right thing or to make the right choice.  We love mercy when we show kindness or mercy oftentimes to those who do not deserve it.  Walking humbly before God is acknowledging He alone is God.  He is the I AM – no one else is.  When we give Him the glory He is worthy of, it will humble our heart before Him.  Obeying God doesn’t have to be unattainable or impossible, but can be a joyful, beautiful journey as we go by step and follow Him.    
13 comments
Read more