The Right Kind of Busy

So, I absolutely lost contact with my weekly blogging, lately.  With the added LiFe in our days with all of the holiday prep, it just wasn't to be.  I'm ok with it.

Are you feeling "behind"... "stressed"... like you have 4 trillion, 3 billion, 243 thousand things left to "accomplish" before Christmas?  

Admittedly, I have often, ok - ALWAYS felt this way, at least to some degree, in past Decembers.  This is the first year that I am not feeling as hurried.  Is it because I made-ahead 6 dozen Christmas cookies in 13 varieties, back in August?  Or, because I have all of my Christmas shopping done (and wrapped)?  Um, no... I actually have nothing wrapped.  Not a thing.  Nada. We did make some roll-out cookies a couple of weeks ago, but those were, um... eaten.  That never happens!?  That piece of foil covering the Christmasy-wintery plate became a mere crumb collector in approximately 3 hours, I'm fairly certain.  And, I just don't feel like making any more.  So.  I don't think we will.  Christmas shopping... hmm... I'm supposed to be doing that right now... oops.  No, I definitely don't have it all together, by American standards.  And, if that's because I'm choosing to avoid the mall and other "Christmas" traditions, I'm more than ok with it.

Not that there is anything at all wrong with family Christmas traditions.  We love making our pretzel-kisses candy each year, taking turns placing the tree-topper, and other family fun.  But, what I'm finding out, is that good things - really good things - happen, when we  slowwww down, such as: thoughtful questions about bible verses from a pondering 7 yr old, whole-hearted introspection from a 9 yr old, and sincere discussions with a 12 yr old, about Satan roaming the earth, and how exactly that is going down.  

No, I'm definitely not "ready" for an earthly-minded Christmas.  But, instead I am really pouring my efforts and energy into Christmas preparations of our hearts.  The fruit of the spirit in my kids is more welcome than any other gift I can possibly imagine under my tree.  So I keep on.  When they fight, I keep on encouraging love and compassion, and plain old niceties.  When they are rude and disrespectful, I keep on reading to them the truths that mean more than anything else.  I continually remind myself that even if no one else sees it; if no one else notices... HE DOES. 

3 kidlets nestled under the quilt, above. They are wrestling for ownership of it during reading time.   

My favorite time of the day remains to be the time when we cuddle up and do our read-alouds. (ok, ok, the coffee I drink during this time may have something to do with my excitement about it, too.)  There are the daily devotions, and also our Story of the World History text.  I especially really love the "for fun" fiction we are doing.  The kids really enjoy taking turns picking out books for our read-alouds, and we've come a long way in terms of cooperation with this.  I think it just took some practice... I realized that while we read to them, nightly, they are such short stories.  We are really loving spending so much time with reading aloud.  Can't wait for more. 

Simplifying sounds so... well, simple.  We know, it isn't as easy to do, as we all want it to be.  But, what if we gave ourselves enough grace to give it a try.  And what if it was worth it, and it was ENOUGH.  After all, it is written:

 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" -Ephesians 2:8

When we take time to slow down and truly focus on that sweet and saving baby boy in the manger, who GAVE.ALL... for you and for me, it is then, that it sincerely doesn't matter if our homes are not decked out in tinsel and lights; it's ok if our trees are dropping needles faster than they can be cleaned up, and if the kids don't unwrap the latest and greatest.  

We may not always be successful in every minute - keeping our focus and attentions above, but we can keep giving it our best shot.  And, Aim.For.Grace.  He gives us all more than enough to go around.  Let it go.  Love you family, love YOURSELF, love your surely-blessed life with all of its imperfections, disasters, and un-finished "Christmas" preparations.  Above all - endlessly seek, and madly love your Saving Grace, Jesus Christ. True Peace is abundant there!