Tag Archive - exhaustion

The Gifts of Advent

December 12, 2009 in General with 1 Comment

advent wreath

 

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)

 

When asked to explain what the four candles of an Advent wreath represent, seven-year-old Luke began to explain, “There’s love, joy, peace, and…”

His six-year-old sister piped up, “I know!” She said excitedly, “Peace and quiet!”

If there is anything that Advent doesn’t bring to us it’s Peace and Quiet. We sing, “Silent Night,” but our hearts are far from being silent. We read the heavenly hosts’ words about peace on earth, but peace has escaped not only our lives, but our vocabulary.

What’s a person to do? There always seems to be two ways of thinking about the matter. First, just accept it. This is the way the Christmas season is. Just cope with it as best as you can. Or second, just forget it. Christmas is way too commercial. Let’s just get rid of all the hype and gaudy trappings.

Perhaps there is another way. I don’t believe we have to resign ourselves to the frenzy, nor do we have to trash all our Christmas decorations. Just as in our everyday lives, true peace comes not from a lack of activity around us, but from an abiding presence within us. It comes from having our hearts and minds focused on what is truly important. Don’t focus on the energy sapping, joy stealing hysteria of the world, but on Christ Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Remember that Christmas is about Jesus and why He came to earth and lived in human flesh. Remember that Christmas is about sharing the love and joy that we have because of the love that was shown to us through Jesus Christ. Remember that all of the decorations and activities are pointless unless you have a reason to celebrate.

Do you want a little peace and quiet during the holidays? Think about Jesus and how much God must have loved you to send Him to earth. Do that a couple of times a day between now and Christmas. I think it will make a difference.

Prayer:
Dear God,
May our days of Advent be ruled by the Prince of Peace. May Your holy love and not our schedules control our hearts.
In the mighty name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

No Time For Jesus?

December 10, 2009 in General with 0 Comments

Hurried Crowd

But although the world was made through him, the world didn’t recognize him when he came. Even in his own land and among his own people, he was not accepted.
John 1:10-11 (NLT)

I heard the story of a woman who was very busy on Christmas Eve. She had her little son with her as she ran from store to store. She had just come from the supermarket and now was battling her way through a department store for some last minute gift buying. She had made her purchases and was looking around for her son so that she could rush home and finish decorating the house.
The little boy was looking at a manger scene. He saw his mom and yelled out: “Mommy, look! It’s Jesus! There’s the baby Jesus in his crib.”
Quite impatiently the mother grabbed him by the arm and said, “Come on, we’re in a hurry. We don’t have time for that!”

Hurry is the number one enemy of the Christian life and the number one destroyer of Christmas joy. Hurry robs us of the opportunity to let God speak to us through the wonder of a child. Hurry steals the power of the message of hope that comes in a manger. Hurry makes us rush past God as He tries to get our attention.
Hurry keeps us from thinking about God’s wondrous love as we decorate our homes. It keeps from receiving His indescribable gift as we try to buy for those on our lists.
So what do we do? I doubt that we can bring all of it to a stop. We can try to slow down and would probably benefit from doing so. But I think the best solution at the moment is to ask God for eyes of grace so that we can catch a glimpse of the Holy moments of Christmas. Those times when we see the wonder in a child’s face. When we pause at a nativity scene and remember that God loved us so much that He sent His Son to us. When we actually listen to the words of a Christmas carol and hear the message of God’s love.
Make time for Jesus this Christmas. You’ll be glad you did.

Prayer:
Holy Father,
Forgive us when we forget You. Forgive us when Christmas is nothing more than another item on our to-do list. Touch our hearts again with Your love and let us see the Savior once again.
In Christ’s name, Amen

Magnets

November 20, 2009 in Daily Faith, General with 0 Comments

Electromagnet

Electromagnet


In the book, Arabian Nights, Sinbad the Sailor warns his shipmates about a great magnetic rock in the Indian Ocean that is so powerful that it draws all the nails and bolts out of passing ships. The ships literally fall apart and sink. Sinbad tells his shipmates that they were to steer clear of that rock lest they lose their lives.

This world has a magnetic pull on us as Christians. It draws us away from God’s heart. The world distracts and entices us. Gradually pulling us out of the circle of God’s loving embrace. It draws us away from Christian fellowship and from spending time with God. The influence of this world loosens the nails and bolts that holds our lives and our families together. Our lives are pulled apart.

However, there is another magnet. When Christ resides in our hearts, we have an internal magnet that can pull us together. That magnet is stronger than the pull of the world’s magnet, but it’s like an electromagnet. It has to have a power source. And worship is what powers that magnet.

The magnet powered by worship pulls all the pieces of our lives together. Public and private worship holds us together in a world that wants to pull us apart. Worship is not a waste of time. Worship is what makes the rest of our time make sense. It holds together all our loose ends of our fragmented lives.

Don’t let the world pull you apart. Spend time with God in worship and your life will hold together.

ARE YOU PUZZLED?

November 11, 2009 in Daily Faith with 0 Comments

puzzlePiece All afternoon a little boy tried to put together a puzzle, his birthday gift from his father. Some of the pieces were bright, some dark; some seemed to go together, others seemed to fit nowhere. Finally, frustrated, tired and with nothing to show for his efforts, the boy gathered the pieces, put them in the box, and gave it to his dad. “I can’t do it,” he explained. “You try it.” To his amazement, his father assembled the entire puzzle in a few minutes.
“You see,” said the boy’s father, “I knew what the picture was like all the time. I saw the picture in the puzzle, but you saw only the pieces.”

Our lives are full of pieces. We have our work, our family responsibilities, our children’s activities, community activities, church and about a million other things that demand our time and energy. Life is demanding, exhausting, and can be very frustrating. Then, on top of all this comes the unexpected and the unplanned. The car breaks down, someone gets sick or tragedy happens.
I believe that the exhaustion and frustration of life come not from the busyness of life, but rather on our focus. We stare at the pieces: random and scattered. None of it makes sense because nothing looks like it goes together.
We need to realize that, just like the boy’s father, our Heavenly Father sees the whole picture. He understands how it all fits together. Trust in God is not just about going to Heaven. It’s also about making sense of the pieces of our lives.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28