beWARM

There comes a moment in every holiday season where I have to remind myself to breathe.

This simple act serves to squelch impending panic as my good intentions and to-do lists threaten to become a highway pile-up.

 “Sure, I can do all that” rapidly becomes “What was I thinking?”

And how will I ever get it done before Christmas?

Pre-holiday pep talks –  you know, the ones where you tell yourself that this is the year when you won’t do whatever it was that stressed you out last year, are but a distant memory.

Fervent requests for God’s peace and a clear mind bring the realization that  holiday frenzy is not His idea of preparing for the birth of His Son.

How can we receive all of God’s gifts with hands too full of busyness and minds cluttered with inconsequential details?

And what we can do to make our holiday have-tos become grace-filled glad-tos?

In this Advent season as we await our Savior’s arrival, I thank God for these awarenesses.  While they won’t lessen what needs to be done, they can change our outlook.

If we plug into God as our energy source, His mainframe provides a strong and steady illumination, revealing all that is good and true.

The frantic race to the Christmas finish can become a walk of grateful joy.

Jesus, who came to save the world, arrived in the humblest way. An unheated manger and a bed of hay provided rest for this holy family, whose only preparation for His birth involved the readying of their hearts.

If we link ourselves to the cord that reaches to God, His peace will guide us through the days as Christmas approaches.

And our hearts will be ready for Jesus to enter in…

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. ~ John 14:27

The giving of gifts is not something man invented.  God started the giving spree when he gave a gift beyond words, the unspeakable gift of His Son. ~Robert Flatt

This title phrase can prompt some trepidation as we reach for the gas pump these days. As one who remembers when gasoline was 33 cents a gallon, and we could top off the tank of our VW bug for under $11, I can relate. ( Life sure was cheap then!)

Though my thoughts today are ethereal in nature, they are not petroleum related.

A few weeks ago, our pastor Martin raised a provocative question.

 Instead of focusing on a ‘bucket list’, he asked, Why not look at what’s in your bucket?

Hmmmm.  This struck a chord with me.

So much of life has us focusing outward – on the things we do, need or want.  And we hope that eventually we may accomplish what now seems like wishful thinking – that dreamlike agenda off in the distance, but never far from our hearts.

Would my view of daily life change if I peered into my bucket? I decided to find out.

The sheer volume of a bucket  being a bit daunting, I got out my favorite coffee cup and gathered up some glass beads.  My task was to put a bead in the cup as I thought of something or someone who added to the fullness of my life.

In a matter of minutes, my cup was more than half full.  And I was barely getting started.

Staring at those beads of gratefulness, my heart swelled.  This visual representation of bountiful blessings adds such rich flavor to daily living, drawing attention to what is here and now…and most meaningful.

And who cares about that list of dreamy wishes?  If I never get to do any of them, I will still have a happy life.

So… what’s in your cup?

I pray that it is spilling over….

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. ~Ephesians 3:19

I admit it – I am directionally challenged.  “Deborah”, our affectionately named  GPS, must have been shaking her head today, wondering where the heck I was driving.

On my merry way to Chama, NM , the halfway point between Santa Fe and Durango, I eagerly anticipated a lunch date with a dear friend of many years.  We hadn’t seen each other for almost 1 year.

As I headed south, Deborah kept annoyingly chirping up, “Make the next legal U-turn“, to which I mentally responded, “What is she thinking?”

Then I observed that the miles and the hours to my destination were increasing exponentially – at which time I placed an SOS call to my dear husband, who is the navigator par excellence in our family.

My moment of grace arrived when he called and gently explained I should be heading northwest instead of south.  I was, by now, 23 miles in the wrong direction.

Had I thought to look at the GPS directions, I would have realized that Chama is nowhere on our usual route to Durango. I woefully called my friend and explained that I would be significantly late.

I then silently apologized to Deborah, who was probably fuming, “I told her so!”

And so, the long drive  became even longer.

The hours passed as I gazed at the spectacular scenery – the red rocks of Abiquiu (Georgia O’Keeffe country), 2 deer prancing across the road, the grand blue sky vistas.

As I drove, I thought about how it felt to be so certain I was headed in the right direction, my false confidence getting the best of me. Thankfully, I got turned around before the day was lost.

How often do I feel that  I am so sure my way is the best way when it comes to life?

God sends us twists and turns, to be sure – some of His design…and others that we choose to undertake.

And what happens when His voice tells me to turn away…turn back…or stop altogether? How often do I turn a deaf ear to His whispers?

Lessons of the Day….

Reading GPS directions before starting the car is not overrated.

Deborah is usually right (I concede)

When you hear God speak, be attentive to His message.

It could save you some Life….

In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. ~Proverbs 3:6

It is gloriously fall in Santa Fe.  The air is crisp, and fragrant with the intoxicating aroma of large drums of green chiles roasting in store parking lots. The aspens on the mountain are just beginning to change to golden yellow.

When we hike in the fall, I view the fallen aspen leaves as God’s confetti; I imagine Him having great fun scattering bushels of them over the mountainside, for our viewing pleasure.

This morning during my quiet time, the aspens spoke of God in another way.

Yesterday our Sacred Companions group reflected on Zephaniah 3:17:

For the Lord your God is living among you.
    He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
    With his love, he will calm all your fears.
    He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. (NLT)

Other than the occasional birdsong, the only other sound during my prayer time was the rustling of the aspen trees outside my window.  It reminded me of the swishing of a cheerleader’s pompoms, or shakeroos as we used to call them back in the day.

Continuing to ponder the Zephaniah verse, I thought, “God is cheering…for me….for us…for the whole world!”  He is delighting in us, rejoicing over us, encouraging us.

He is our biggest and most devoted Fan.

Wow…

I am comforted and filled up by the thought.

Crazy as it sounds, I am envisioning Him partying down, reveling in our goodness, excited that we desire a relationship with Him, all the while fully understanding (and forgiving) our human foibles and failings.

His friendship is Larger Than Life.

So how has He been cheering for you lately?  And what have you been doing that makes Him rejoice?

Let’s give God even more reasons to celebrate….