a pretty non-traditional Christmas in some ways. Advent Conspiracy has yet again made me painfully aware of how quickly i lose sight of what's real, true, and good. the older i get the more i hear Solomon's words ringing true: "everything is meaningless...."
what's real is the fact that while we were still sinners, God demonstrated His own love for us through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of His own son, Jesus Christ.
what's true is that God made it possible to have a relationship with Him through Jesus and we literally have the opportunity to interact with Him, communicate with Him, call upon Him in desperation, and abide in Him. that changes every thing about every day.
what's good is everything about Him. He has always acted on our behalf and He always will. it may not be the way we want or expect, but He always acts.
why is it so dang easy to forget that the birth of Christ is the center of all of the craziness of the holiday season? when i remember that simple, yet profound truth, everything is different...
i see things differently.
i respond differently.
i even walk a little slower.
i focus on things that are full of meaning.
i think about things that matter.
our pastor has compiled some readings for Advent and even the act of daily reading has helped keep Jesus in the forefront of my brain and heart. but the internalization of Truth is only a part of it. the action that follows has been what's challenged me the most this year. it's really easy for me to know, believe, and hold fast to the truth about God. and being in vocational ministry, i have a billion opportunities every week to walk them out. and i treasure those opportunities. but when Advent rolls around, i am just like everyone else... trying to arrange my life to fit in the things that really matter. and sometimes i do a terrible job at that.
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