Finding My Glasses

What if you were to lose one "sense" out of the five?  You could keep the other four, but had to give up one?  Sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.  I cannot imagine life without any of these, but if I had to choose I would definitely not want to lose my sight.  As a life-long lover of books and the written word, being unable to read would be a sword to my heart.  (audible books aside...I want to see what I am reading)  As well, I am a visual person.  Seeing beauty and color awakens something in my soul.  I am a basket case if I misplace my glasses.

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of darkness a light has dawned."  Isaiah 9:2

I cannot get this Scripture out of my mind today.  As I focus on the coming birth of Christ in these days of December this sense of "seeing" is utmost in my thoughts.  

walking.....they were moving forward albeit in darkness
darkness - unable to see, didn't realize they couldn't see clearly or "were used to the darkness"
seen a great light - they had to open their eyes to see the light
LIGHT - a great light has dawned on them

All of us, at some point, were/are walking in darkness.  Moving along at the pace of life.  Perhaps not even realizing how dark it was because we had become accustomed to habits and what seemed normal - it is all we had ever known. Painful, discouraging, ugly, but we know nothing else.  Trying to look forward because there is no other way to look. Somehow our eyes open and we SEE a light....a GREAT LIGHT.   Suddenly, a brightness dawns in our darkness.  Nothing else matters but that light and we move towards it.  We realize what we thought was "normal" was really darkness and there is a beauty of life ahead of us which we were meant to live.  It is like having lost your glasses and now you found them and can see clearly.  We learn to live all over again, because now we can SEE.

As we move deeper into the weeks of December I pray we will SEE what God wants us to see.  The Light that came into the world.  I am pretty sure we will all agree, believers and unbelievers alike, we live in a pretty DARK world.  The chaos, war, protests, disease, death, selfishness, and brokenness all around is pretty hard to ignore.  Where can we possibly turn for hope and something to "light our way" ? LORD, open our eyes to SEE what you want us to see.  For those of us who already believe in your Son, Jesus, open our eyes to see where you want us to be a light for you.  Where Your light can make a difference through our lives as we rub shoulders with those who are struggling to see.  For those who do see, but are aching for an answer to their pain and sorrow, allow the warmth of your Light to ease the pain and help them to see the way on the road ahead. For those who are in darkness, and cannot see where to turn, open their eyes to see what perhaps they didn't realize they were searching for.  The real Hope and Answer to their despair and longing.  The Light dawning in their darkness.  Help us all to find our glasses.

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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Lights, music, parties, sales, trees, decorations, Santas, Salvation army volunteers on every corner, commercials...commercials....commercials....it's that time of year again.  It snuck up on us like that birthday with a "big 0" .   Just as we are ridding ourselves of that "full" feeling of turkey, stuffing and pie, we are pulling out the boxes, cutting that tree and changing the look of our entire house.

I actually love this time of year, following on the footsteps of another favorite season.  Like autumn, I relish the smells, sights and sounds of the holiday season.  The day after Thanksgiving, I am getting down the boxes and setting up Tinseltown in my home.  Although there is not a Santa Claus to be seen, there are lots of fairy lights and candles.  And I try to make the festive feeling in my home last as long as possible.  

Okay, not my home, but isn't it a picture of Christmas coziness?

As I put up some garland and lights yesterday, I tuned into a local radio station that plays non-stop Christmas music.  Lively, sentimental, rock-around-the-clock Christmas music.  It was fun.  I was by myself (that part not so fun), but I did get the job done.  Only thing left is the tree, of which I have recruited my oldest daughter and the boyfriend of my youngest daughter to help adorn the centerpiece of the living area.  Normally, my youngest daughter and I make this a yearly ritual and memory as we do it together...eggnog and lights.  She is away in Germany right now and Christmas in China on a missions trip, but I wasn't about to tackle the tree by myself.  Hence, my offer to feed and furnish music to finish the last of the festooning and garnishing of the season.

Yesterday as I was sweeping up the needles, I was again bombarded with "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" from the radio...for probably the 6th or 7th time that day.  As the thought of "not again" crept in, I stopped in my tracks and realized not once had I heard a song that mentioned Jesus.  All day long the tunes were played, and no "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful", no "Joy to the World", no "Little Town of Bethlehem".  (whoops, sorry, they did play "Little Drummer Boy").  But overall, not a mention of the whole reason for the season.  I was saddened as I thought about how the music most people love and listen to at Christmas is not the heart and soul of Christmas at all.  Jesus replaced with "Last year I gave you my heart, the very next day, you gave it away."  Seriously???

We are coming into the Advent season...those four weeks (Sundays) prior to Christmas where we prepare for the "coming" of Jesus.  (you can read past posts from Decembers on meaning and tradition).  However, to borrow a thought I read recently in an email from a friend..."Advent derives from the Latin and means coming or approaching.  For those of us who travel a lot, nothing is more valued as we approach our destination than to be warmly welcomed; a welcome symbolizes so much, almost becoming sacramental."  Oh, the years of traveling where when I finally reached where I needed to be, that welcome meant more to me than any gold or riches.  That feeling of "you are welcome here....let me make you comfortable".  "Let me make you understand the journey you just took is worthwhile and valued....we appreciate why you came and the sacrifice it took to get here."

May I offer the suggestion as we finish off November and enter into "the most wonderful time of the year" and the busiest, that we take time to ponder "who" we are welcoming.  He's come on quite a journey, He's paid a heavy price to come, He's the real and only reason for this celebration, and He came for you and for me.  And He is worthy of the most awesome WELCOME we can provide.

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