I have had such high hopes for Advent. I wanted to immerse myself in scripture and tradition and family experiences. All I can say today is, “Are we already almost half way through it?”
There is so much that is good to do, at this time. There are great ways to celebrate Christ, special foods to make, fellowship to be had. And God is using wonderful writers and ministries who provide tremendous opportunities for us to engage with Him, to meet Him in the Coming (Advent) of Christmas, to Keep Christ in Christmas. I am thankful to see so many bloggers and other online ministries shining His Light during this time!
Yes, there is so much good. We are enjoying our Advent wreath, our Jesse Tree (thank you Cati!), our Christmas tree, and the other decorations that say Christmas is just around the corner. But sometimes in the midst of all this good, like Mary’s sister Martha, we can lose the better part.
…Few things are needed
—or indeed only one.
Mary has chosen what is better,
and it will not be taken away from her.
Luke 10:42
In past years, I have missed the Coming of our Lord, because of Christmas.
I have missed the forest, for the trees.
This year, the Lord has given me a new Grace. He has made me keenly aware that all of my pursuits should reflect my pursuit of Him. So I am not stressing that we are behind on the Jesse Tree today because of an orthodontist appointment. Or that we didn’t light the Advent wreath on the Second Sunday of Advent, because we weren’t home. That night there was no Sunday dinner with the family. There was frozen yogurt on the way to see a few friends performing beautiful ballet pieces from The Nutcracker.
I am so thankful for these gifts, today, in this—the Second Week of Advent:
- A kind orthodontist
- God’s Provision for our children to have braces
- Friends (that we can watch dance beautifully in performances)
- Eyes to see performances
- Frozen Yogurt
- Eyes that see Blessings
I am learning that we should see Emmanuel, God With Us, where He is—in our everyday lives. When we meet Him there, it is the better part.
Image Copyright: alexraths / 123RF Stock Photo
Glad you like the Jesse tree! We will do it again next year!
Whaa! I wish I had yogurtni after the Nutcracker now! 😀 Next time!… There’s always next time!
p.s. I love what Mary said above.. Giving up perfect.. That’s what I need to do 😀
I feel this same tension, Britta. There IS so much good to be done this time of year – so what’s wrong with me if I don’t feel like doing any of it?? Is that any better or worse than letting all of the good hide what is best? It can be confusing, when all we really need to do is prepare Him room.
Love what you wrote Mary! Funny, but the frenzied pace is making me notice the Still Small Voice. Some days feel like watching time lapse photography of my own life…so surreal! I like the freedom we have to choose. I just don’t like how fast it seems to be going!