Having a Heart in a Sometimes Heartless World
Scripture focus: Remember our history, friends and be warned…just experiencing God’s wonder and grace didn’t seem to mean much – most of them were defeated by temptation during the hard times in the desert, and God was not pleased. The same thing could happen to us. We must be on guard so that we never get caught up in wanting our own way as they did…we are as capable of messing it up as they were. Don’t be so naïve and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence. 1 Corinthians 10:1 – 12, selected Verses from The Message
One holiday season Pete got a nice Christmas bonus. He upped our holiday budget – and boy was I thrilled! We bought whosits and whatsits, whizzles and wazzles. We used lights to excess and added extra desserts on the holiday buffet. I didn’t have to check price tags or clip coupons. And I thought it was the good life. But I can’t tell you a single thing I bought or what was given that year.
I, however, still remember Vern. It was one of Meredith’s first Christmases – when she actually was old enough to get excited and not drool on stuff. We took an evening and counted our pennies and shopped ‘til we dropped – not because of all the loot we were going to haul home - but because every penny counted. And when every penny counts, we’ve discovered we value what the pennies purchase.
So let’s remember rightly as we push toward Thanksgiving and Christmas. Think back to previous holidays – and the anticipation we felt as they approached. Can you remember hoping for a Norman Rockwell kind of celebration – only to discover you forgot to cook the turkey (I have a friend who can instruct you if that happens…)? Were you hoping for the perfect Christmas Eve celebration – and Uncle Frank got all liquored up, causing quite a ruckus? What about the perfect destination vacation – ruined because of flight cancellations?
Wow – with all those expectations of perfection firmly attached to our back, we won’t be able to straighten up to set the table, much less get an early morning workout in! We must be on guard so that we never get caught up in wanting our own way…
How about if we think of our Thanksgiving and Christmas season differently this year?
If you remember back to past slip-ups in your efforts to recover your life and find your way back to God – what could we do differently if we cultivated God-confidence, rather than relying on our plans for the best holiday party ever?
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