‘Tis the season to be jolly . . . yet often overly busy.
Writing Christmas cards. (In my case panicking over not having the perfect picture to fit the perfect style of card.) Hence, scheduling a time to have a friend take some pictures for us - totally adding to the madness. Decorating the house. Buying and wrapping presents. Cooking. Baking. Thinking about Christmas parties and get togethers with friends.... etc, etc, ET-CETERA. Planning and thinking about all these things I “need” to do can be exhausting, but it doesn’t have to be.
As we’re heading into the Christmas season, I've decided it's a time to celebrate God’s PEACE and joy, and I'm going to try to remember to simply seek God for what should be done (and what activities could be eliminated to bring more of God’s presence into Jared and my life).
It's all about God's daily balance for us. But sometimes it feels impossible to have the peace (or, remember to go after it for that matter!) in this busy time. Is it possible? Yes! The key is casting our cares on the Lord, and spending special time in the presence of God, one-on-one with Jesus, THE Almighty Prince of Peace. Real PEACE comes from the PRESENCE of Jesus!
Think of everything Jesus needed to do during his time on earth...
The example Christ demonstrated to us is astounding to me. Instead of being directed by the overwhelming needs of the moment, (which in His case, trump ALL our to-do lists), Jesus took time to pray and to seek the Heavenly Father’s perfect direction for each day, and then did exactly (and only) what needed to be done . . .
In His short period of ministry, Jesus had more on His “to-do” list than any of of could ever imagine.
He was responsible for providing God’s only way of salvation for all mankind. He had to establish a brand-new worldwide "training program" (through teaching and personal example) to explain God’s eternal kingdom. He had to equip His "on earth" leaders (in theology and practical life skills) for future earthly ministry. And on top of all that, He couldn’t sin or make a mistake . . . not even once!
Puts my freak out over Christmas cards and another batch of ginger cookies in their place.
Even with such a short time, an eternally important job, and such spiritual “pressure” (from our point of view), Jesus was never rushed or stressed-out. In spite of all He needed to do (and because of all He needed to do), Jesus always took time to pray. God’s perspective is so much different than ours.
Jesus was totally perfect and totally God (in the flesh), yet throughout His life He took time to seek God’s direction and guidance. Even when everyone else was busy and everyone had pressing needs, Jesus took time to be quiet and to get away... and to pray.
Mark 1:35-38 says,
“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He [Jesus] went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for you.”
[**or, in modern day terms... "what are you doing wasting time! We have so much to do!"]
"But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”
Instead of being directed by the overwhelming needs of the moment, Jesus took time to pray in a solitary place. After this personal prayer time, Jesus knew God's perfect direction for that day, and He did exactly what needed to be done.
This is a reminder and a challenge for me. Especially now that it's December 1st, and my to-do list feels like a mile long, filled with things both trivial and noteworthy. To truly be able to not only become like Jesus, but be able to appreciate all the this season has to offer, I feel called to pursue this attribute of experiencing peace IN His presence. If prayer was that important to Jesus, it should be important to us!
Finding PEACE . . . through PRAYER!
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The book that has really been inspiring me for some time about all this, and that directed much of this post, is "Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence" by Sarah Young. Link to amazon here. I HIGHLY, highly recommend getting this one. Let's kill two birds with one stone here... stocking stuffer AND a resource to fuel your intamacy with the Lord? Done. :)
So happy December 1st, and may you feel the call to maybe step away from the madness every so often and find Peace in His Presence!
Awesome post! I try really hard every year to keep the most important thing the focus of our Christmas. Not stressing over a ton of gifts for everyone, doing every art project, etc. Also we decided we will not be teaching Hailey about Santa. In our eyes it just takes away from the true focus of the day Christ was born. It also teaches kids that all you need to do is be good and you'll ge presents from Santa. Well it's so much more than "being good ". The second part is teaching about Santa is lying! We do not feel comfortable lying to our children for a made up character.
ReplyDeleteIn the end, we just want Christmas to be a celebration of the birth of Christ, giving, family, and peace in our home. So no stress in this house either! ;)
Thanks for writing this post
I enjoy reading my daily devotional in Jesus Calling; it adheres to my situation and circumstance daily, and reminds me that things are not coincidence; it is God working through, with and in His people. To put it mildly, this devotional calls me to develop and grow my relationship with the Lord each and every day to my fullest extent. Also, the devotionals are not too extensive, and have three scripture references to read and compare the devotional. If you're not a big fan of devotionals, but are apt to try one that builds you up for a contextually deeper devotional, purchase Sarah Young's Jesus Calling. You will be uplifted and encouraged!
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