Adoration ... or Chaos?

I spent last Friday in NYC with a dear friend. Lots of lights. People rushing to and fro. Crowds jammed together in the streets and stores. Noise and action and activity. Traffic everywhere. We were enveloped by a crazy, breathless, exhilarating madness. And we loved (almost)

every chaotic moment!

It was a wonderful, exhausting adventure.

For one day.

I must admit I was relieved when our train pulled into the stillness of the Poughkeepsie station late that evening and I dragged my weary body home to the sleepy, little hamlet of Salt Point, far from the push and shove of the crowded sidewalks that we had navigated.

But I'm conscious that many live that way every day. And it has nothing to do with the realities of city life. I've had many conversations with people, who regale me with stories about the ways their crazy, non-stop lifestyle that has captured and captivated them. Like hamsters on a wheel, life has become an endless striving. They seem unable or unwilling to make the choices that are needed to bring calm into chaos.

Together, we talk quietly about how the constant busyness has taken its toll on their bodies, minds, souls.

During this season, we sing, "Oh come, let us adore Him ..."

Adoration takes time. A quietness in our spirits. Focus. Choices made. I cannot fully focus on adoring Christ, the Lord, if I'm frantically spinning lots of plates in the air. Trust me when I tell you - it just cannot be done.

If your life is out of control, the chaos is most likely magnified during this season. If you're "addicted to a holiday high," I think you might just appreciate the thought-filled, practical perspective, "Downscaling Christmas."

May I encourage you to make some healthy choices in the coming days so there'll be no disappointing regrets when the tinsel, lights, and ornaments are long gone?

To feel free to say a gentle yet firm "no, thank you"?

To choose simplicity instead of extravagance?

To cultivate stillness amidst the festivities?

To pursue quietness instead of craziness?

To value Jesus instead of accumulation?

And then when all is said and done, to have the courage to continue to adore Christ as the new year dawns?

And let go of all that keeps you from going there?

Focusing, with you, on making choices

that give Him pleasure ~

Linda

"Be still and know that I am God"

- Psalm 46:10.