Christmas with the Family

With September 1^st comes excitement over cooler weather, hot spiced cider, and blowing brightly colored leaves.  Underlying all the reasons for fall exuberance, though, is the event that has colored my world since I was a child.  Cold weather means Christmas is on the way!

 

None of that has changed since I was a young girl.  What has changed however is the dark cloud that can accompany December 1^st.  Steve puts on his tender face and his armor and battens down the hatches.  Because he is about to be assaulted, beaten back, and challenged by the full range of emotions that are available to me as a female…sometimes many within only minutes!

 

Because, you see, my Christmas will never be the same as it was when my children were small.  There are two reasons for this.  Most important, they had the courage to grow up and go about their own lives, as it should be.  Second, even my Christmas as it was when they were small is not the Christmas I see in my mind’s eye.  I remember the quiet, peaceful couple of hours on Christmas Eve night but not the several frantic hours that day wrapping, cooking, stressing, and fuming.  I remember the sweet smiles but not the squabbling.  I remember the snow…once or twice.

 

Don't we all idealize the holidays?  A Thanksgiving table groaning with food and  a happy Norman Rockwell family beaming at one another.  Children dressed so perfectly and behaving so well that we know they left their rooms spotless.  Little ones running and playing, smiling and sharing.  Don’t get me wrong.  It happens…and, when it does, it is wonderful.  But as we get older, we never remember the work and the peacemaking required.

 

This year, as I eased my way into late fall, I began to pray earnestly that God would manage our holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I told Him I would do my best to completely turn it over to Him, letting Him take care of the plans and the details.  The only mood swings I’ve had, small glitches really, have been when I tried to take it back over and run it for Him.  

 

The “why” I’ll write about when I can find the right words.  But, I’ll tell you the result right now.  This Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons have been among the best I’ve ever had.  My level of joy and peace has been consistent, high, and humbling.  My Father has given me increased faith and grace to see things by a new perspective.  I can’t wait to tell you about it!

I'll Be Home for Christmas

No other Christmas song brings on bittersweet nostalgia and longing like “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”  It is often sung as a romantic ballad; but in my opinion only Josh Groban's recording has captured the reality of the 1943 song, as written from the perspective of a soldier serving overseas during World War II. 

 

My Pandora station can’t decide whether to thumbs up or thumbs down this song.  It feels like pure Christmas but, depending on my mood, it can pull me down to the depths.  And I realized, listening to it today, how very many groups of people it affects in so many different ways.  Listen and consider…

• The small children who think it’s a nice-enough song but don’t quite understand why it seems to make everyone so sad.
• The high school student who is just happy to be among family and friends and thinks the song is a fine song.
• The college student or young person away from home for the first time and either eagerly waiting for that flight home or yearning to be there.  They will find on arriving the beginning of that phenomenon that will follow them for the rest of their lives, especially if they are believers.  Everything may be exactly the same, but the feeling is not what they are anticipating.  It feels somehow homey and alien all at the same time.  They will realize that “home” is something they can no longer grasp.
• The young parents who listen with a strange mixture of contentment that, at last he’s singing about my own home; longing for a parent they cannot be with; or guilt for not making the trek to be there.
• The middle-aged parents with kids who are older and parents who come to their home instead.  This is the best one and you parents who are at this stage, relax and enjoy!  These are the good old days and things do not have to be perfect. 
• The empty nest parents whose kids are experiencing that strange feeling upon coming home that things are not as they remembered.  The parents who, for the first time, cannot for one reason or another be with their children.  (This group should probably just avoid the song altogether.)
• Those members of our armed forces serving who cannot be with their families.  For them, the longing is very real.
• Those who are 66.  I can speak concerning this group.  Because we can begin to imagine being at the throne of King Jesus on His birthday.  Suddenly all the other groups and concerns fade into the background and we begin to grasp perspective.
• Those who have lost loved ones who are believers during the past year.  May I encourage you with how God blessed me the Christmas after I lost my mom in October?  Instead of my “wishing her back here” with me, He encouraged me to picture her there.  I realized that she would be there in time for rehearsals for the Messiah.  Then it dawned on me that Handel might be directing it and that King Jesus Himself might be in the congregation!

So take comfort, encouragement, and excitement in this…those of you with loved ones who have gone before you, they are truly Home for the holidays!  Rejoice!  

2 Corinthians 5:5-8
Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.  Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight.  We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Why Walk?

As I studied at my dining table this morning, I saw a crow land and spend a little time in my front yard.  A few seconds later, he caught my attention as he walked through the yard, across the street, and on down toward the end of the block.  I chuckled for a minute; but then it occurred to me.  Why on earth would you walk if you have wings?

How many times do I puzzle over something for a couple of hours and finally think to pray?    Usually God gives me a solution or at least a peace about whatever the issue is.  How often do we worry and fret over problems we couldn’t possibly solve?  Or other things that work themselves out and we look back and shake our heads over all that wasted energy?  We know the Bible tells us, Jesus tells us, over and over again not to worry.

But let’s look at the flip side, the positive piece.  If you remove something, another thing must take its place.  Pour a glass of water out and the glass will be filled with air.  Ever try digging a hole in very light and dry sand?  It just keeps refilling itself.  

If we make a decision not to worry, to trust God, we had best have something to back that up or the concern will just creep right back in.  I choose to live in the power that God provides through His Spirit and His Word.  Why would I walk on legs that tire when I can soar on wings like eagles?

1 Chronicles 29:11-13; Nehemiah 8:10; Isaiah 40:29-31
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.  Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.  Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name…Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength…He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Relative Advice

This morning it’s about in-laws and parents...and advice.  Moses’ father-in-law to be more precise.  In Exodus 18.  Jethro, his father-in-law, had heard of everything that God had done for Moses and the Israelites.  He, along with Moses’ wife Zipporah and his two sons, came to visit Moses and Moses related everything that God had done for them, including all the hardship from which God had delivered them.

Jethro rejoiced and blessed God, offering sacrifices and eating with Moses, Aaron and all the elders of Israel.  On the next day Moses sat from morning until night judging the people and settling issues, making them aware of God’s laws.

Here’s where the story gets sticky.  Verse 17 is the one that brought me to a dead stop.  

“So Moses-father-in-law said to him, ‘The thing that you do is not good.’”  

Though this situation has a great ending, I’m not sure I would have gotten that far.  Because if anyone, particularly a close relative, were to come to me and say that, I’m afraid, while I might have a frozen smile on my face and the appearance of listening, my brain would be on the fast track.  I would be thinking of snide responses and then berating myself for not having the courage of delivery.  

Not only does God expect us to honor our parents, He did not put us on this earth to live in solitude, never accepting help or counsel.  Just before, in chapter 17, Joshua and his men defeated Amalek because Moses held the staff of God up.  When he let his arms drop, they began to lose.  Ever try to hold anything – hand weights, two cans of beans, two bags of ice, anything – in your raised hands for long?  But Aaron and Hur held Moses arms up for him.  We all need support from others and humility to react well to guidance.

Moses did listen to Jethro.  And he followed his very good advice and taught able men the laws and commands of God.  He made them rulers over small and large groups and he settled only the hard cases.  And his life was much easier for it.

If you have advice for me, bring it on!  I will try very hard to listen and give you a genuine smile of thanks.

Toadstools and Spanish Moss

August just lies down and stretches itself out over South Carolina.  Hot, always hot.  But sometimes very wet as well, as it was last week.  As a pluviofile (my new favorite word…means a lover of rain, someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days), I have been joyful indeed.

 

The hot, wet weather changes our landscape, making it greener and adding embellishments.  As I was leaving to go into town, I saw great fields and rings of toadstools filling the lawns of our community.  I call them toadstools; you can call them fairy seats if that makes them more appealing to you.  

 

And that’s the point.  When I have found them on my lawn in the past, I have gone after them with a vengeance and a shovel.  I would have called them nasty things.

 

 

But as I was driving out that morning, it struck me that they are quite beautiful.  Everything we see, smell, taste, touch, and hear is open to perception and interpretation.  And nowhere is that more obvious than in God’s creation.  Just ask one or two people how they feel about spiders or snakes.

 

When I was about seven, my daddy had to go to Ft. Polk, Louisiana for his work with the National Guard.  Hot, dusty Ft. Polk.  This was the fifties and I’m fairly sure our car had no air conditioning.  We found a park for our picnic on the way down.  It had lots of trees and looked cool and refreshing.  We unpacked our lunch.  

 

With a sandwich midway to my mouth, I looked around and up and noticed Spanish moss for the first time.  I finished my sandwich and drink in minutes.  I wanted out of there!  It looked spooky, eerie, and ghostly to me.  I had no affection for it whatsoever.  Here in South Carolina many years later, I will stop and pick it up off the road to take home and throw into my live oak.  Now I see it as silky, charming, and southern.  

 

How I perceive my world depends on how I feel about its Creator.  When I walk, I marvel at God’s good and perfect gifts.  And I thank my Creator God, Elohim.  Aside from Abba Father, I favor this name for God above the others.  The word in Hebrew has a masculine, plural ending and represents the Three in One.  All three persons of the Trinity – God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit – were present (and worked!) at the creation of the heavens and the earth.

 

My God made a world for me that reflects the facets of His nature…beautiful, breath-taking, creative, majestic, powerful, and whimsical.  When I value Him, I love my surroundings because He never tires of giving me gifts from nature.

 

Psalm 148:2-13

Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above.

Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.

Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.

He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the LORD  from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail,  snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

Red Vines and Cropsies

Farm Heroes Saga stole my joy.  My morning had started the way my best mornings start.  When I take the time to spend some serious time with the Lord in the morning, in His Word and communicating with Him, my day is wrapped in peace and a layer of joy.  Small irritations and frustrations may diminish it a bit, but the underlying contentment stays pretty much intact.

 

The other day Steve was home and I had finished my quiet time.  I sat down to do dueling laptops with him.  I love that we can be in the same room and both pursue our own paths.  Mine on this particular day was Farm Heroes Saga.  I was literally killing time, vast quantities of it.  Those of you who know me well are familiar with my inclination toward online game addiction.  

 

I am playing one, Pearl’s Peril, a hidden objects game that tests my memory and only allows a few minutes of game play.  This works for me.  However, some games like Farm Heroes and Candy Crush let you play as long as you proceed to the next level.  I enjoy them so much I will go back and play old levels to try to improve my score.  All of this is fine!  Within reason. 

My friends also know my love for licorice…all kinds.  Give me Red Vines for strawberry, Switzer or Australian for black, and Twizzlers cherry peel-aparts.  I even like those garish neon fruit ones and the filled ones!  But once again, I tend to avoid them because I go overboard.  If you give me a bag of licorice, you will probably see me inhale half the bag before I put it down!  

 

It doesn’t matter whether I’ve wasted hours playing an online game or eaten half a bag of candy, the end result is pretty much the same.  I feel lousy!  My time (and my health!) should mean more than that.  

 

When I’ve padded my diet with more and more fast food and sugar, healthy food loses its charm.  And when my senses are dulled by hours of gaming that doesn’t even pretend to work my brain, my desire for reading, writing, or Bible study is gone.  And, pretty much, so is my joy.

Playing the What If Game

The details encourage me!  Occasionally, when I am digging in God’s Word, I discover a little nugget of gold, a clause or phrase that I have read so many times.  But then I will see it and remember that “the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)  It works for me, in this moment, at this place, every day!

 

Today the gold was hiding in the story of Joseph and his brothers when they were reunited in Egypt.  If you haven’t read it for a while, you can find it in Genesis 42-47.  After keeping the faith for years, coming to a position of great power, forgiving his brothers and acknowledging God’s place and control in everything that happened to him, Joseph reveals himself and his forgiveness to his brothers.  A happy reunion, many tears, and great feasting result. 

 

Joseph then sends his brothers back to Canaan to bring their father Jacob and their families and belongings again to Egypt to settle in the best of the land by Pharaoh’s orders, to be nourished and taken care of during the remaining five years of famine that will still come.

 

Joseph has very carefully explained to his brothers that God brought him to Egypt and that he has forgiven them completely.  He has prepared great material comfort for their trip home and the return and they are on their way.  But the payout comes in Genesis 45:24: “So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, ‘See that you do not become troubled along the way.’”  

 

I love this!  He was telling them not to get on the road and start overanalyzing and playing the what if game.  What if he has trapped us?  What if he plans to get us all to Egypt just to enslave us?  What if he didn’t really forgive us at all?

 

Do you ever do that?  How many times have I left Walmart and thought, “Why did that lady look at me that way?  Did I hurt her feelings?”  Or on the way home from church, “What did she mean by that?  Maybe she is mad at me.”  The list goes on and on… food to nourish dislike, jealousy, insecurity. 

 

Over analysis after the fact…the “what if game.”  Nobody wins and I am going to take it off my list of activities!