Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Christmas

Today I was reading the Crossroads daily and it discussed how many aspects of Christmas are an interruption to normal life, and how our lives are interrupted when we choose to follow Jesus. I got to thinking about Christmas (this time of year how could you not?) I love the decorations, the trees, the Christmas carols, cookies, get togethers with family and friends. Yes, it can be inconvenient. We have to re-arrange our schedules to make various parties, dinners, etc. We have to get gifts for everyone on our lists. We have to take the time to shop for the ingredients for the cookies and then bake them. The list of each person's Christmas traditions go on and on.

Yet, Christmas gives us a time to be doing things we should be doing all year. Look at the amount of time you spend with your family and friends over the holidays. Why not try to spend more time with them throughout the year, instead of just at this time? And look at the generosity of shopping for the perfect gift that will make a loved one's face light up when she opens it. Isn't there a lot most of us could do to be more generous throughout the year. And while we are on that subject - what about receiving? A lot of us struggle with receiving. It can be an insult to our pride or our independence or sense of fairness. If someone gives to us we feel we have to give something back to keep the balance even. Christmas is a great time for us to practice giving and receiving, but those are principles we need to keep in practice all year long.

And, as I am sitting here watching snow fall outside my window, I am reminded that God is with us every day, washing us white as snow through the sacrifice of his Son. We may be more aware and in tune with that during the Christmas season, but it is true all year long.

Monday, December 21, 2009

First Day

Wow, today Jameson is 12 weeks old! In some ways those 12 weeks have flown by; in other ways it feels like he has been here forever. I asked Michael the other day what we used to do with ourselves before him. Our lives have totally changed and it is awesome! We have so much to be thankful for, with this beautiful baby who loves to cuddle, who is sleeping longer at night these days, who is developing a personality, smiling and talking to us, reaching and grabbing for toys, kicking his legs, moving his head...he is just hitting all of those milestones. It is awesome to watch it happen!

It hit me this weekend that, if I had worked right up until he was born and taken a full maternity leave, today would be my first day back at work. This Monday of Christmas week I would be headed back to my old job, dropping Jameson off at day care, adjusting to a whole new and different routine. I am so blessed to be in a position where I get to stay at home with him. Since I was young I have felt called to be a stay at home mom when the time came. It isn't easy, that I've learned. There are days I want to cry and pull my hair out, but it is worth it. I love witnessing all of his changes and developments. And now that he is starting to get into more of a predictable routine hopefully I can start doing a better job taking care of the rest of the house, the cleaning, grocery shopping, etc that has fallen by the wayside here recently. These past 12 weeks have been like an alternate life. I think of all the phases we have gone through with him, tough times that seemed interminable as we experienced them, that now I can barely remember. Time is flying by, and I want to remember to cherish every second!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Thankfulness

Today I read a passage in Ephesians that discussed doing things out of love rather than following a list of rules. Too often I look at life as rules of what I should or should not do, or even more often as a balancing act - what is fair. If we spend 3 hours with Michael's family on a holiday we need to spend an equal amount of time with my family. If I am changing diapers and doing Jameson's laundry how much is Michael helping. It is so easy to look at life in this transactional way. Yet, that is no way to live.

God loves me. He has blessed me with so much, so many things I take for granted every day. I have a wonderful husband and a beautiful baby boy. I have a great house and yard, and I get to stay at home to raise my son. We have plenty of diapers that I don't have to wash every day! We have a diaper pail to put them in. We have a car seat and stroller, I have lots of clothes and shoes, we have a TV and cable. God has blessed us with all of these things, and certainly not because I deserve them! I am guilty of lying, gossiping, judging others, being selfish...the list goes on and on. If God gave me what I deserved what a sorry place I would be in. But no, He gives to me out of love. He pours out these blessings on me because He loves me. He gives me so much better than I could ever earn or deserve.

If this is the way God loves me and treats me, shouldn't I then turn and treat others around me with the same outpouring of love? Instead of worrying about how much Michael does that 'counts' on my list, shouldn't I instead be grateful of the things I have an opportunity to do to help him out? Shouldn't I be glad that I can allow him to spend time with his family on a holiday? Shouldn't I rejoice in the fact that I can change some diapers to take that task off of his plate? Shouldn't I be glad when I can get housework done so he comes home to a clean and sparkling house, instead of focusing on what I did and what he didn't do? Isn't that living in love, as Christ taught us to do?

This gives me a lot to think about. A whole new focus on my daily routines and tasks. And I'm excited about it!!!!