Skip to main content

Distractions of the Holidays

It is now 10:28 p.m. I should be tucked in bed, Marje at my feet, a book in my hands, and sleep swiftly on its way. . . Well, three out of four ain't bad. Instead of the book, I have my laptop. I may not have time to post my usual Wednesday blog tomorrow, so I thought I'd give it a go tonight; and besides, I haven't had much opportunity to write lately and it's making me grumpy. So if the author of this blog seems to be a little incoherent or dozes off in the middle of it, you know why.

In approximately 27 1/2 hours it will be Thanksgiving Day, 2009 - a day when we stop all of our usually activities to attend a feast. There aren't too many meals throughout the year that can hold that title, but Thanksgiving Day? I don't know what else you can call it. It's certainly not just a meal. The feasting itself isn't the primary purpose of the day though - or at least it's not supposed to be. It's meant to be a day to focus on those things in life for which we are thankful - that was the original idea anyway. In reality, I think it's more like a kick-off to the annual Season of Gluttony (in all respects). Some people merely call it The Holiday Season.

And in that spirit, let me say that every year I get just a little more disgusted with the materialism-god that we worship (myself included). Don't get me wrong, I love the whole gift-exchange thing with my husband and four kids. I love getting together with the people I love most in the world but don't get to see nearly often enough. I love the trees and lights and ribbons and the festive air.

The problem is that these things are very distracting, and I don't ever want to forget what it's all about. From Thanksgiving and black Friday, Christmas parties, and cookie-baking all the way through Christmas Day. It's all about One thing, and it's too easy to lose that when our focus - and the focus of our entire society - is on stuff: food, clothes, gifts, decorations, parties. Honestly, how often do you think about the reason you're celebrating?

This Thanksgiving, when someone asks me what I'm thankful for, I don't want to give a pat answer. I want to think. I want to look beyond the things that I can see and hear, taste and touch. I want to look beyond the obvious. I want to keep asking myself the questions that make me dig, make me sift through my life to find the bottom line - and thank Him. He's the One we're celebrating. There's nothing beyond Him. There's nothing besides Him.

And by His grace, I won't forget that this year as I baste my turkey, indulge in a little gluttony, and laugh with those I love. I don't really need much more than that.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tricia's Return (my first ICL assignment for 13-17 year olds)

I stormed down the hall and slammed the door. I’d had enough! Dumping my books out of my backpack, I began shoving in clothes – anything I could grab. I dug through the junk on the floor of my closet and found my stash – my life’s savings. I shoved it on top of my clothes. In the midst of this frenzy, I heard a soft knock on my door. "Tricia?" It was my mom. “What now?” I couldn’t keep the anger out of my voice. She was just going to launch into another tirade. Her list of my shortcomings was endless, and I didn’t want to hear them anymore. I didn’t open the door; I climbed out my window, backpack in tow, grabbed my bike and took off for the bus station. Jeremy didn’t know I was coming. He’d be so surprised. I couldn’t wait to see him! We’ve been together for a year; but since his family moved to St. Louis four months ago, we haven’t seen each other. We haven’t even been able to talk much He'd made the varsity soccer team; and with all the games and practices, he hadn’t h...

How Do You Wait?

The barren one is now in her sixth month.  Not one promise from God is empty of power  for nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1: 37 The Passion Translation I've never thought that much about Elizabeth. Gabriel speaks here to Mary - the mother-to-be of none other than GOD Himself! Who has a thought to spare for this side character in THE story of divine visitation? God come to earth. Wow. Talk about a headline for the New York Times! Why does Gabriel even mention Elizabeth? I don't know, but I'm glad he did.  I read these verses with a different perspective this morning.  "The barren one." Elizabeth is now past childbearing years. It's not a secret. Everyone in her community knows she's barren (it's obvious). The life part of her life is over. There is no hope for her to have her dream - a life like her friends have. She's different from her family, her neighbors. In a time when children are everything, she has nothing.  And now it's too late...

Rethinking My Rightness

I used to label myself as a conservative Christian. Used to. Lately, I'm almost ashamed to even be called a "christian" (that lowercase "c" is on purpose). It seems that over the last eight to ten years, being "christian" has become more about being right than about being Christ-like. It's more about enforcing a perceived level of moral behavior that has nothing to do with a person's heart (what was that Jesus said about a "whitewashed tomb" in Matthew 23:27?). Being "christian" has become more about power, control, and supremacy than it is about loving your neighbor or your God. I'm deeply saddened by the current "christian" focus on the sins of others (LGBTQ anyone?), by the lack of humility, by the pain inflicted (knowingly and unknowingly) on those who are unlike us. I've recently seen the ugliness of my own whitewashed tomb. I don't like it. I cried to see that my heart contains such haughtiness an...