STOP TO SMELL THE PINE TREES!
Christmas is the busiest time of the year. It is not surprising that we can easily lose the significance of the season with all the hustle and bustle of shopping for presents, socking suffers, food for the Holiday table, assorted grab bag gifts for parties, office activities, and so much more.
Years ago we had a Christmas party every year. Everyone would bring hors d'oeuvres and we supplied the special Cranberry Holiday punch, Eggnog, Brandy Alexander, Grasshoppers and Irish Coffee... some of our guests arranged for group babysitters to be at several other homes, with Holiday activities for the children, as it was an adult only party.
All of this was so much fun, and all of your friends looked so forward to it every year. A friend of mine has a true Godly father from Scotland who came one year and he was amazed that we were all dressed up and having holiday punch and listening to music on one hand and the conversations on the other hand were intermingled with "Praise the Lord" and talk about God and His goodness ... he said he had never seen that before and he wanted to come to the party every year!!!! ...
And, oh that party was oh so fun ...but i think in many places we can allow the focus of all the frivolity take our focus away from the things that count. I have been corresponding with a friend who reconnected with me. He went to my church and also my High School.. we graduated together. Doing this has stirred up many memories for me. As we were emailing each other, he brought up something that made me think of my Christ Church days, and it then reminded me of a story, my mother relayed to me. I shared it with our congregation years ago in a sermon and my conversation with my friend encouragement sparked this blog post.
And, oh that party was oh so fun ...but i think in many places we can allow the focus of all the frivolity take our focus away from the things that count. I have been corresponding with a friend who reconnected with me. He went to my church and also my High School.. we graduated together. Doing this has stirred up many memories for me. As we were emailing each other, he brought up something that made me think of my Christ Church days, and it then reminded me of a story, my mother relayed to me. I shared it with our congregation years ago in a sermon and my conversation with my friend encouragement sparked this blog post.
When I was young, our pastor asked my mother to take over a Sunday School class of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade boys who no other Sunday School teacher would take as they were distracting the class! She agreed, as she could never refuse our pastor, even though she had her work cut out for her with this handful of active and a bit unruly boys. We lived close to the church, and so many Sunday mornings if the weather permitted, we would walk to church. I loved this time with my mother. I have always been a free spirit who has not much regard for time, except when I have been working ... but, I was about 8-10 at the time and was late most of the time, which just about drove my mother crazy as she was always early. So this particular morning it was just the beginning of Spring and I was total enamored with all the new activity I was viewing in nature. My favorite flowers are Spring flowers. I have never been one who loves store bought flowers that much. But, a handpicked bouquet with my favorite Spring flowers of Lilacs, Lily of the Valley, Violets, Forsythia, Tulips and such will cause me to squeal in delight! I was thrilled to see some of my favorite flowers beginning to bloom on the way to chuch.. chipping delightedly to my Mother “Oh Mommy, look at the Forsythia bush starting to bloom, look at my favorite.. the hyacinth.. see the happy little daffodils, the pansies with their cute little faces, and the crocus?” My mother however, being an “A type personality, with a get it done attitude” had getting to church on time on her mind, wanting to set a good example for her "boys", and urged me strongly to hurry along. My heart was to drink in the beauty I was seeing and to stop and smell the flowers, but I obediently obeyed my mother.
Little did I know our pastor, Dr. Ackerman who everyone loved would be giving a sermon that morning on “Stopping to smell the Roses”. He explained about the importance of majoring on the major things in life and minoring on the minors. He said many times we get so caught up in the have to’s of life that we forget about stopping along the way to enjoy life and what God has placed in front of us to enjoy! My mother turned to me with tears in her eyes mouthing the words “I’m sorry”.
As an adult, I realize there is a need for both getting things done decently and in order, but there also needs to be time taken along the way to stop and smell the roses.
Christmas time is one of those times we can somehow get so caught up with all the details of what has to be done and forget the major thing, which is to celebrate the anniversary of Jesus’ Birth…. I love watching music and movie shows on TV that stir the Christmas Spirit. I want to enjoy every manger scene at every church I pass.. I want to stop and smell the invigorating scent of pine from our tree, I want to drink in the beauty of the poinsettia plants, and the holly. I want to read the story of the birth of Christ to my granddaughter.. I want to remember kissing my husbands and family members under the mistletoe too!!
With so many traditions being taken away from Americans today having to do with Christ and Christmas, it is important that believers do whatever they can in my opinion to keep it alive. In the endeavor to “not offend anyone” we are offending God in major ways. Our nation was founded with Christian values and beliefs, and yet today Christ is being pushed out of everything, even the word Christmas is being changed to Holiday. Don’t you think we as a nation have become more like the frog in the kettle?
The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and will not stay where He is not invited. If the restrainer (God) is taken away, we will be in dire straits. This is happening right before our very eyes, and yet many just sit in the kettle like the frog while the heat is being turned up.. and we don’t even have the sense to jump out of the kettle.
I believe what is restraining men/women today is biblical morality knit to the human conscience – eternity has been written on the heart of every man/woman, and yet many make up excuses in their own hearts and minds to reject it and the one who has made it possible. As men and women continue to suppress the truth, or try to justify things such as abortion, their conscience becomes more and more seared and they will throw off the “bonds” of biblical morality. As the conscience erodes, man will continue to change their own laws to reflect what is alive in their demented conscience. They will have exchanged truth for lies, and will mock those who are trying to follow the ways of the bible. They will defend, rationalize and validate their immoral views and pat themselves on the back for doing so. Okay.. so now I am done preaching!!!
The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and will not stay where He is not invited. If the restrainer (God) is taken away, we will be in dire straits. This is happening right before our very eyes, and yet many just sit in the kettle like the frog while the heat is being turned up.. and we don’t even have the sense to jump out of the kettle.
I believe what is restraining men/women today is biblical morality knit to the human conscience – eternity has been written on the heart of every man/woman, and yet many make up excuses in their own hearts and minds to reject it and the one who has made it possible. As men and women continue to suppress the truth, or try to justify things such as abortion, their conscience becomes more and more seared and they will throw off the “bonds” of biblical morality. As the conscience erodes, man will continue to change their own laws to reflect what is alive in their demented conscience. They will have exchanged truth for lies, and will mock those who are trying to follow the ways of the bible. They will defend, rationalize and validate their immoral views and pat themselves on the back for doing so. Okay.. so now I am done preaching!!!
My 16 year old grandson is here visiting us this week unexpectedly with my son. I am delighted to have them both here, but it has been anything but the perfect timing for my husband and me. We have so much to do with our business with the Christmas Holiday just starting, our bank account is about nil at the moment so it will limit our ability to enter into some of the activities we would like to take them to. On top of all this my son brought food for a Christmas Dinner complete with Turkey and Ham. I ended up cooking the dinner which I loved doing, but it really cut into my already busy schedule. I wouldn’t trade doing this for the world, but on the other hand.. not the best timing! I was lamenting to my husband about how much I would like to be doing more, and his comment was “honey we will do what we can do… how about an old fashioned Christmas where the important thing is being together”? such wisdom
How true. The IMPORTANT thing is being together. I have taken his advice and we have been enjoying this unexpected time with my son and grandson. Talking and laughing together… tonight we plan to go to a place nearby that sells all kinds of chocolate and has a Christmas Village set up. After that, we are looking forward to A Christmas Boat Parade at the inlet with boats all decorated with Christmas lights, and my youngest son and his family may attend. This year is not bedecked on the grandiose scale of Christmas shows .. dinners at special restaurants and lavish gifts of previous years, but that is okay. This year I am going to try to focus on what is important… The Reason for the season... unto US a gift has been given , my family, my friends, and giving to those who have been forgotten in life. I want to actively seek even more so those who have a need I can meet.
My prayer for you is that the bells of Christmas will ring loudly in your heart this year awakening you spirit and proclaiming over and over that God loves you SOOO SOOOO much... He was born so you may live a fantastic life filled with wonder all year long! Please take time this year to stop and smell the pine trees or whatever makes you recall and rekindle all that Christmas encompasses, but please get alone somewhere so you can reflect on the greatest of gifts, remembering the very greatest gift we can give to God is our heart.
My prayer for you is that the bells of Christmas will ring loudly in your heart this year awakening you spirit and proclaiming over and over that God loves you SOOO SOOOO much... He was born so you may live a fantastic life filled with wonder all year long! Please take time this year to stop and smell the pine trees or whatever makes you recall and rekindle all that Christmas encompasses, but please get alone somewhere so you can reflect on the greatest of gifts, remembering the very greatest gift we can give to God is our heart.
I want to take time to smell the roses this Christmas and to be thankful for the greatest of Gifts…
O’ Come Let Us Adore Him .. Christ the Lord
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