There was a time in my life when being busy was the “in” thing for me and other Christians around me. It was cool to be busy going to Bible study groups, worship practise, church, family functions, work and/or studying hard and basically not having a moment to spare. I guess I looked at it as being productive for God…or something.
Nowadays, I hate saying “I’m busy.” But I have felt fairly busy and stressed since arriving back from my wedding and honeymoon in Hawaii 3.5 weeks ago. There is just so much to do at Christmas time – right?! I’ve been Christmas shopping and spent an entire day online designing and ordering a bunch of Christmas presents. JD & I have looked around at Christmas lights in the nearby suburbs and the lights Spectacular at Imagine Nations Church. We’ve been to family, work and neighbourhood Christmas parties, caught up with friends and even watched a few Christmas movies.
Then there’s the less Christmassy, more regular busyness. I’ve had 10 working days in the last 3 weeks before finishing up teaching for summer holidays, but before even arriving back from Hawaii, summer school began and I commenced two 14-week subjects that I’m trying to cram into 9 weeks – that’s about 25-30 hours of study per week.
And then there are all the things my heart really wants to get done this summer that I’m concerned I may not have time for, like reading an ordinary novel, compiling, editing and elaborating on the book I’ve been writing this year, setting goals for my writing next year and getting the ball rolling on those. I miss writing…
I want to read the entire Bible in Greek (before I die), but so far I’ve only read about 4 chapters in 3 weeks. I want to clean my apartment so that JD and I have more space, but at the moment it’s full of Christmas presents, Hawaiian souvenirs and piles of mail or other documents that need sorting out.
I hate this feeling that I don’t have enough time. It’s been on my mind all year because frankly it has been the busiest year that I’ve had since the days of being “busy for God.” I want to trust God that he has given me all the time I need and that if I actually slow down, prioritise and even spend a little time with him, the world isn’t going to fall off its axis. Everything will be okay.
I mean, it’s Christmas in two days for heaven’s sake! Every year we blink and another Christmas comes and goes, and some years it doesn’t even feel like we had a Christmas because there’s just. So. Much. To do…
So I’m opening my heart right now and I’m saying, I don’t want to forget about Jesus this Christmas. It doesn’t have to be “The Busy Season” but it IS the Christ-mas season. Christ-mass. Mass in the Catholic Church means partaking of the body and blood of Jesus: The Lord’s supper / Communion / Eucharist. So Christmas is a celebration of both the life and the death of Jesus. It celebrates our common-union (communion) with Christ.
God became human. What better way for God to heal us from the disease of sin and resurrect our decaying bodies from the dead than by becoming one of us?! Then, because we were first created IN him (think of it as being in the womb of God), what happens to his humanity happens to ours. He was resurrected and recreated and all of humanity with him.
I want to slow down this Christmas and this summer and spend some time communing with Jesus. I want to let go of my frenzy to get everything done “in time,” and remember that I am secure in the love of God. He is able to make all grace abound to me (2 Cor 9:8) and I believe this includes an abundance of time. I’m not “running out of time.” I don’t have to be busy! Have you ever noticed that you are often more productive when you feel relaxed and are working at your own pace, than when you rush and push yourself? I am determined to retrain my brain in this area and to trust God with my time.
I don’t want to blink and miss out on my very first Christmas as a married woman with my husband in the same country! I want to breathe deep and listen to my heart where Jesus abides and shares his love with me … and with my husband … and with our family and friends … and with the whole human race.
Happy Christmas Everyone.
<3 <3 <3
