A Moment with Majesty

In the hustle and bustle that can become Christmas, how many of you hope to slow things down and just soak up the goodness of the season?

I know that as my calendar begins to fill and time gets squeezed out, I begin to feel that way myself.  When we have to decline a function and feelings get hurt, it makes me question priorities and relationships.  As the date draws closer to the 25th, I'm mindful that the relationship which should be my priority is the very One whose birth we are celebrating.

Several nights ago, wise words reached into my soul and settled there.  My pastor's wife shared a from-the-heart, simple devotion that simply encouraged us that amidst the chaos of Christmas we seek a moment with Majesty.  To be still and know...  To let everything else go and just be in His very presence.

And so that is my Christmas wish...

To not compare the presents (or lack of) under my tree with those I see

and focus more on the presence of who is around it

To say no when there's no space to give and be ok in doing so

To pause whenever I feel the stress of the season and remember the reason we celebrate

To seek Him in every moment

To let it go when others hurt me and just share His love

To let His light shine through me everywhere I go

To be still...and know that He is God.

Above all else.

Faithful Friday: Christmas Lights

Driving my mom home this evening, she said something very wise, nestled between shopping bags from our successful outing.

Noah was asking me about our weekend and I was rattling off the packed agenda of the next 48 hours.  December is just a busy, busy month I reminded him.

"But it is also important to pause and enjoy it too," whispers Mom.

Yes, Mom, it is...

Even me, someone who pauses regularly in every day to find joy and give thanks, needs a reminder now and then. Although I'm cautious that what I put on my calendar is Christ-filled this month and focuses on family, it is also so very important to pause in the season and seek God.  To remember the reason and feel his very presence.  To let his light shine through us so that when we share the holiday with others, we show Christmas.

And so that is just what I did.  Shopping bags empty, pjs on, I sat in the stillness of the living room, with only the light from the tree and fireplace glowing.  No TV.  No phone.  No distractions.  Just me - and God. 
I soaked him up, breathed Christmas in...and it was beautiful.

May I be reminded to do this daily.  After all, a week of December has already come and gone...

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."
 —2 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV)



my sweet nephew, Leeland, sleeping under the lights of our tree this December



 

Faithful Friday...Forgotten?!

Ok, maybe I took last week's Faithful Friday too much to heart.  I forgot everything, including writing yesterday's post! 

Actually I didn't forget, I just got too busy and didn't do it.  Life got in the way.

4“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.” Interlude

While I could spout excuses...this week was the launch of the new program I've been working on for months, Mom's taxi service has been running kids here and there, baseball games and fire meetings, Relay For Life...and church.  Does God excuse our busyness when it's still related to him?  My Wednesday nights are again filled, as I'm helping in Missions.  And we have Lifegroup tonight, for which I've spent time shopping and cooking.

6 We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
not knowing who will spend it.

My days are filled with work, every evening busy, and even if I used the "God excuse" for some of my week, it doesn't change things.  The fact of the matter is, I haven't made time for Him.  Not the one on one time that my soul longs for.  I haven't found time to Be Still this week and I've longed for rest that only He can provide.

7 And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you. - Psalm 39:4-10 - (NLT)

The amazing thing is that He is always there, accepting us even when we fail.  He yearns to spend time with us, exclusively, just as we do Him.  And so as much as my body aches from the busyness of the week, I know exactly how and where to find the calm relief I need. 

If your week has sounded a lot like mine, find your tranquility with Him...

Jesus said, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”        - Mark 6:31