Choosing the Best Things

A friend of mine wrote me an email yesterday and mentioned she is reading Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.  She said that I came to her mind about choosing people instead of my "to do" list.  As I read her very kind note, I felt compunction, guilt.

You see, I struggle.  I often choose people over things that need to get done.  I love to check on people and see how they're doing.  But, my guilt comes because often it comes at the expense of my children.  Sometimes I lose sight of the most important people in my world--the ones that God has given me charge of--to care for every day and night.

This morning I was sitting in church and asked myself what my children will remember about me and whether they will remember what I hope they will.  Will they remember Mom on the phone and the computer?  Or will they remember Mom reading with them?

The other reason I felt compunction is that my friend was writing because she was talking about one of the lies that Nancy Leigh DeMoss writes about:  "We Can Do It All!"  and "We can do it all right!"  I do make time for people and my children, but I smoosh the other tasks I need to do together so--that I can get everything done.  The people that pay the biggest price for my sqeezing is my children.  In my life there hasn't been room for not getting it all done.  There's a lot of factors that go into this that I can't really explain in this post, but whatever the reasons, it isn't okay.

Our pastor talked this morning about Christmas and Jesus.  He said that we celebrate the coronation ceremonies of royalty and politicians with enormous extravagance.  But, Jesus didn't come for a holiday.  He came for you and me--to be a part of our lives every single day.  So, he encouraged us to celebrate Christmas and enjoy our families and friends--but not to make this a party about Jesus.  He doesn't need it.  He didn't come for a party.  He came to be our Saviour.  So many people fret and even grieve over the presents and celebrations that surround Christmas.  Honestly, I haven't always known what to think about it.  But, today I realized that it's good to celebrate Christmas as a time to be thankful for our friends and family to the Lord--to be thankful for the hope that He has given us.  And it's a fun time to enjoy winter, curling up beside a tree full of lights and ornaments with a cup of hot apple cider and spend time with your friends and family.  Enjoy living.  That is a gift from God.

I'm looking forward to enjoying my children this week.  I am going to pray that God will help me sit more with them.  To play games and color.  To set aside my selfishness and my desires.  To get the things done that I need to, but to set aside the things that aren't my responsibilities.  To discern what God wants me to do with my time.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas my friends!