It's been awhile since I've updated this blog, but I've had literally no time to catch my breath lately, let alone blog! We are "parents" this week and thus incredibly busy! We're staying with 2 girls from our Church, while their parents are on a cruise. They are in Kindergarten and Third Grade, so we are having alot of fun with them and are doing our best to keep them on a schedule and us too! We're also working this week and oh yeah, it's the week before Christmas...could it be any busier?? I am so late this year on my Christmas cards and on shopping, but each day I'm trying to check something off my list and finally I seem to be making some progress! My sister Jennie was also in town this weekend with her boyfriend and her friend, so we got to spend some time with them and on Friday, Stacie and Jesse fly into town also, so we're looking forward to picking them up too. This is the time of year when I feel like I need a housekeeper and an assistant just to keep my sanity!! Wouldn't that be great? Someone to delegate my "stuff" to?? Unfortunately I have no one to delegate too...Travis is busy enough and Ryley just looks at me and wags his tail. So I delegate to the "air" and close my eyes, hoping that when I open them, someone will have heard me and done exactly what I asked. Wishful thinking, I know.
We are definately looking forward to Christmas next week. We're going to Iowa and we both can't wait to stop and be still for awhile. That's what gets me the most right now. These days are flying by and they are jammed packed from beginning to end. I just don't feel like I'm getting any time to "savor the season" and remember what Christmas is all about. That's the trick every year, right? Keeping Jesus before everything else, taking time to be still and dwell with Him. I am trying, sometimes successfully and sometimes unsuccessfully, to take 5 minutes here and there to just quiet my heart and be thankful for what God gave us 2,000 years ago when he sent his son as a little baby. Just the realization of that tends to put everything in perspective and keeps me from getting stressed out over things that aren't important. Try as I might to keep my Christmas from becoming "commercialized", I find it sneaking in. We are so blessed with everything we need, tons of stuff we want and more than we could ever use. So why do I find myself making "wish lists" for even more?? I think that is probably the cry of most hearts who know it's better to give than to receive, but it doesn't come easy and if definately goes against all things cultural. Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-presents at all, but I just want so badly for my heart to be right this year, for my "wants" to be in check. We don't even understand what it means to "need" in America because we have so much in comparison to the rest of the world. But we do know how to give and we do have plenty to give. So, that's been our hope this year. We want to "out-give" before we get, first to the Lord and then to people in our life. The Lord doesn't "need" our money, He's the Creator of the Universe and He can do anything He pleases with or without us, but he "wants" our hearts. I'm not saying we're there yet or that we're doing it perfectly this year, but we're trying to do it better than we've done it before. I want to walk away from Christmas this year, not feeling guilty for all that we spent or all that we're taking home, but instead thankful for the best gift we've ever received, Jesus; thankful for the resources God's entrusted us with and thankful that we've honored Him with it.
Whew....having said that, I'm off to spend some time in the Word, start my day, and finish lots of things on my "to-do" list. Tonight is another busy Wednesday night and we'll be soon caught up in the chaos of kids, Church, schedules, etc. But for now...I'm doing my best to be still, to look out at the beautiful landscape covered in snow, and to praise Him for all that He is.
"For unto us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace..." Isaiah 9:6
I hear ya girl! Our week was like that last week... I hope your nannying is going well! Your verse at the bottom has been our memory verse for Ellie. We miss ya and hope you have a great rest of the week!
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