Stay With Me
There’s a little private mourning going on over here that Thanksgiving week is over. It’s a highly anticipated week in our home-- a break from school for ALL of us, Funday Monday, Operation Christmas Child shopping, no bedtimes, hosting neighbors for the Caramel Apple Party on Wednesday night, friends around our table for Thanksgiving, thankful cards under our pillows, Georgia/ Georgia Tech game and decorating the house for the most significant birthday ever! We played all week and by Saturday night, we could barely keep our eyes open past 9 o’clock! And it’s over. Sigh.
Decorating on Friday, the day we FINALLY get to turn on the Christmas music, I was amped up for it because Julia was ready to help me-- once she made it out of bed. After about 2 hours, I felt I was moving in molasses. I had no zip in my zap. Nada. We decorated last year after being in the house for 3 weeks but expectations were low on my end so we just put stuff out and we were just thrilled to be decorated. This year I needed to do it right- to figure out where our favorite things would go. Molasses.
Then Saturday came-- the day we put up the tree. The day we consider easy and fun. All yuletide merry came to a screeching halt. I think it’s fair to say I started testing sections of our pre-lit tree around 12 {about half time of the game} and after a sort of diffused argument, pulling out a gazillion bulbs with my thumbnail, a few tears in the bathroom- no child needs to see their mother CRY over Christmas lights, a horrible Bulldog loss, a phone call to an Christmas lights seasoned friend, a trip to Home Depot, it was all lit by 6. Can I just say I have a whole new respect for my husband? After switching out fuses-- which NEVER works-- and even changing out plugs-- yes, with bare wires and electrical tape-- he comes home with something that looks like a cross between a glue gun and a pistol, we were able to RE-light all three of the four sections. It’s called a LightKeeper Pro. Oh. My. Gosh. It solved all of our problems. Tedious work but it eventually found the culprit and voila! Light! A Christmas miracle! I kissed him after every strand came back on. LightKeeper Pro. Husbands, be the hero and go get one now.
But that drama stirred me up. I cried in the bathroom, people. Over lights. A new perspective needed to be birthed!
You know the little move with your two fingers pointing at your eyes and you go back and forth between yours and the direction of someone else’s -- well, if it didn’t seem irreverent for Jesus to do this, I think that’s what He’s doing with me this first day of December-- reminding me He sees me {and my lists} and not to lose focus over the next 25 days-- to “Keep it right here between you and Me. Stay with Me."
It’s every year. These lists. This messy calendar. The shopping. The weird things we cook. Time spent. Money spent. Lalalalalalalalala--people write about this all the time. But don’t we need to be reminded all the time? We are celebrating HIS birth, HIS coming, God’s putting into motion His rescue plan for all of mankind. God knew the rescue plan since before the foundation of the world but we celebrate Luke 2:6, "While [Joseph and Mary] were there, the time came for the baby to be born.” THE time. It was THE time for His plan to be revealed. We get to relive it and celebrate it! God had been silent for so long and then Gabriel surprised Mary that day with such mysterious news and then Zechariah in the temple that day with news about his son, John. It’s such a wonderful story to tell, to hear, to ponder. Every. Year.
If you haven’t started anticipating His arrival with your family, I encourage you to do so! Grab an Advent book or look up Scriptures that foretell His arrival. Louie Giglio’s “Waiting Here for You: An Advent Journey of Hope” or “Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus” edited by Nancy Guthrie. Ann Voskamp just came out with a beautiful one for children, "Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas”, and then there is Elyse Fitzpatrick’s "Counting the Days, Lighting the Candles: A Christmas Advent Devotional” and a favorite, “The Advent Book” by Jack and Kathy Stockman.
Make the most of this Christmas season. Whittle it down as much as you can. I’ve missed Him before and I don’t want to miss Him again.
I bet just like with me, He’s saying to you, “Keep it right here between you and Me. Stay with Me." When December is over, you’ll be glad you did.
Decorating on Friday, the day we FINALLY get to turn on the Christmas music, I was amped up for it because Julia was ready to help me-- once she made it out of bed. After about 2 hours, I felt I was moving in molasses. I had no zip in my zap. Nada. We decorated last year after being in the house for 3 weeks but expectations were low on my end so we just put stuff out and we were just thrilled to be decorated. This year I needed to do it right- to figure out where our favorite things would go. Molasses.
Then Saturday came-- the day we put up the tree. The day we consider easy and fun. All yuletide merry came to a screeching halt. I think it’s fair to say I started testing sections of our pre-lit tree around 12 {about half time of the game} and after a sort of diffused argument, pulling out a gazillion bulbs with my thumbnail, a few tears in the bathroom- no child needs to see their mother CRY over Christmas lights, a horrible Bulldog loss, a phone call to an Christmas lights seasoned friend, a trip to Home Depot, it was all lit by 6. Can I just say I have a whole new respect for my husband? After switching out fuses-- which NEVER works-- and even changing out plugs-- yes, with bare wires and electrical tape-- he comes home with something that looks like a cross between a glue gun and a pistol, we were able to RE-light all three of the four sections. It’s called a LightKeeper Pro. Oh. My. Gosh. It solved all of our problems. Tedious work but it eventually found the culprit and voila! Light! A Christmas miracle! I kissed him after every strand came back on. LightKeeper Pro. Husbands, be the hero and go get one now.
But that drama stirred me up. I cried in the bathroom, people. Over lights. A new perspective needed to be birthed!
You know the little move with your two fingers pointing at your eyes and you go back and forth between yours and the direction of someone else’s -- well, if it didn’t seem irreverent for Jesus to do this, I think that’s what He’s doing with me this first day of December-- reminding me He sees me {and my lists} and not to lose focus over the next 25 days-- to “Keep it right here between you and Me. Stay with Me."
It’s every year. These lists. This messy calendar. The shopping. The weird things we cook. Time spent. Money spent. Lalalalalalalalala--people write about this all the time. But don’t we need to be reminded all the time? We are celebrating HIS birth, HIS coming, God’s putting into motion His rescue plan for all of mankind. God knew the rescue plan since before the foundation of the world but we celebrate Luke 2:6, "While [Joseph and Mary] were there, the time came for the baby to be born.” THE time. It was THE time for His plan to be revealed. We get to relive it and celebrate it! God had been silent for so long and then Gabriel surprised Mary that day with such mysterious news and then Zechariah in the temple that day with news about his son, John. It’s such a wonderful story to tell, to hear, to ponder. Every. Year.
If you haven’t started anticipating His arrival with your family, I encourage you to do so! Grab an Advent book or look up Scriptures that foretell His arrival. Louie Giglio’s “Waiting Here for You: An Advent Journey of Hope” or “Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus” edited by Nancy Guthrie. Ann Voskamp just came out with a beautiful one for children, "Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas”, and then there is Elyse Fitzpatrick’s "Counting the Days, Lighting the Candles: A Christmas Advent Devotional” and a favorite, “The Advent Book” by Jack and Kathy Stockman.
Make the most of this Christmas season. Whittle it down as much as you can. I’ve missed Him before and I don’t want to miss Him again.
I bet just like with me, He’s saying to you, “Keep it right here between you and Me. Stay with Me." When December is over, you’ll be glad you did.
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