IT STARTS WITH US

     Are you feeling it, too?  The hustle, the bustle, the rush that God never intended us to drown under this time of year.

     Interesting that Jesus came to bring PEACE to earth and yet it remains one of the hardest things to hold on to as we prepare to celebrate His birth.  It's as if we can watch it slip through our fingers as we hurry from store to store.

     Isn't it just like the enemy to try to steal from us, especially at this season, the gift of peace that Jesus came to bring?  Do you know that we have to fight to receive it?  It doesn't arrive packaged under our tree each year, without some very intentionally choices on our part.

Is there an easy solution? 

A wand that we can wave to make life fall into simple order for the season?  

A way to bring the peace back into our days before Christmas?

     Well, yes and no, but it is possible!  It's found in putting Jesus first regardless of how long our lists of "things-to-do" grow long. 

     The Bible tells us The Word became flesh and dwelt among us!  That is Jesus Christ, Son of God -- with skin on -- came to earth as a baby.  Ironically, the reason for the rushing rests heavily in that phrase.  Do you hear the hope?

     I know, that still doesn't get your lists ticked off to completion, so how does it really help?

     When our hearts focus on Jesus and we begin our days in His presence, we are fed.  We are nourished, strengthened and equipped for every good work -- even shopping, cleaning and Christmas baking!  BUT we have to get the order right!

     Remember the song, Let There Be Peace on Earth?  Do you remember who the peace was supposed to start with?  Here are a few of the words ~

     Let there be peace on earth,

     And let it begin with _____ (WHO?) me (OUCH!),

     Let there be peace on earth

     The peace that was meant to be...

     Let this be my solemn vow.

     To take each moment

     And live each moment

     With peace eternally.

     Let there be peace on earth,

     And let it begin with me.

   

     It's not too late, my sweet friends, to make that same solemn vow.  In our homes, peace genuinely can and should begin with us, as moms!!!  

     I have a little plaque in my room that is just for me.  It says, "If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"  It serves as my daily reminder that my attitude greatly affects our entire household and I take that very seriously.

     More than any other season, I want our children to remember the joy and happiness that centered around the celebration of our Saviour's birth, NOT the stress and the grumpiness. 

     I hate to say it, moms, but it does begin with us!  And that means it begins with God and His Word. 

     If we surrender our mornings, despite all the decorations and tinsel that are yelling for us to put them first, we will find Jesus meeting us there and giving us everything we need to make this season truly peace-ful and joy-ful!  His Word is always proven true -- with Him we can do anything, even Christmas.

"I (Jesus) am the vine;

you are the branches.

If you remain in me and I in you,

you will bear much fruit."

John 15:5

Time to be a Child

     "Your daughter has the perfect build for ballet."

     "Your son is so tall - he could be very good at basketball."

     "Your daughter is a natural artist, she would flourish with some are lessons."

     AHHHHHHH!  If I committed my children to even half of the sports and classes that well-meaning friends and relatives suggested we'd have cobwebs hanging from our ceilings.  Opportunities abound for our children.  AND I have yet to see true benefits of busyness.

     My heart breaks when endless lists are rattled off by loving, well-intentioned parents, of all the activities crammed into a given day.  Do they realize what is stolen from their lives and the lives of their children, when they try to meet the world's standard of extra-curricular activities?

     What happened to hours of creative play with a dress-up box?  Or the tree house turned into a pirate ship?  Or the bin of building blocks that becomes a castle surrounded by knights? 

     I don't want anyone to feel guilty for the activities your children are in -- ours have a few too -- but we choose them ever so carefully, and fiercely guard family time and free time.  My hope is simply to challenge the status quo.  To remind people that there is a choice.  You will not ruin your child if they are not exposed to every activity listed in the local recreation guide.

     YOU HAVE PERMISSION TO SAY NO!

"I have no peace, no quietness;

I have no rest, but only turmoil."

Job 3:26

     Choosing to say no means:  saying no to scouts but yes to family dinners, saying no to hockey but yes to church, or even saying no to ballet but yes to family walks in a park.  Don't feel judged - NO - you have to choose what works best for your family . . . I just want to challenge you to ask yourself whether you are even choosing or just saying YES to everything?

     I choose to rest in the knowledge that the future path God has chosen for each my children will come about IN SPITE OF the activities I expose my children to, not BECAUSE OF them.  God is so much bigger than my feeble attempts to "grow" my children.  By His grace I trust they will choose the path He has for them. 

     I choose to resist the social pressure around me that says I need to be busy, busy all the time.

     I choose to give my children time to be children. 

     I will allow God to surface the way that they should go.

     I desperately want my children to look back on their childhood, not with memories of mommy stressfully racing from one thing to the next; but of hours spent in books, laughter, fun and play.

     I create leisure time to read and discuss God's Word, not just quickly rushed through so we can charge into the next thing on our list. 

     Activities have their place, but they are only of earthly value -- things of eternal value must be my number one priority when we choose where to invest time and energy.  God will fan into flame what He intends for our children to do.

"You will keep in perfect

peace him whose mind

is steadfast."  Isaiah 26:3

Treasure the Treasures

Does it ever amaze you how many treasures our young children can give us in a day?  If I had been able to keep every drawing, rock, flower, picture and treasure of every kind that I have been blessed with, times five children, I can't imagine how massive the pile would be.  I still get a thrill out of hearing those sweet words of, "Mommy, I made this just for you."  It makes me feel so blessed to be thought of.

In the same way, as I was reading the story of "The Widow's Mite" in Mark 12, I was reminded of what impressed Jesus the most that day He was at the temple.  It was not the wealthy men who dropped large amounts of "cash" into the offerings, but the woman who gave two copper coins.  Jesus spoke so highly of her gift and praised her giving with His disciples because she gave everything she had. 

I feel that when my children and your children take time from their day and work to create something very special - it needs to be treasured so carefully.  Those "treasures" are often given at the busiest times of the day - it may be the supper preparation rush or the time they were to get into bed, but regardless it is usually done with a heart that is giving from all they have.  I know there will come a day (and it has already started) that I look back on the treasures I have filed and saved, and realize that I should have taken more time to recognize the value of those treasures.  Some of the hardest gifts to welcome are the ones that come with dirt on the floor, or bugs in the center of the flowers - but does it really matter? 

I ask this question of myself more than I ask it of you - in the light of the big picture of life - can I not, can we not, take a long moment and treasure the treasure of the little person who thinks the world of us, and has given us a treasure from everything they have?  We are so blessed!