Stop! It’s Christmas.
Wednesday, December 21, 2022
When this posts, it will be four days before Christmas 2022.
You may not have heard this from anyone under 18, but for the adults, especially those of us in the prime of our lives, we hear and say more often than not, “I can’t believe it’ almost Christmas.” And we mean it. This time of year sneaks up on us in so many ways.
For me, the summer months bring yard work, hot long days, and what seems to be the never-ending list of things to do around the house. Summer turns to fall and, if you’ve read some of my recent posts, you know the leaves and I have our annual battle. (By the way, I just got up what I believe to be the last layer of fallen leaves about a week ago.) And now, I find myself writing this post, less than two weeks before Christmas.
We’ve already had Christmas decorations up at our church for several weeks. Our Sunday School class held our Christmas party a couple of weeks ago. My wife and I have completed almost all of our Christmas shopping. We put the finishing touches on our decorations last weekend.
And, until I sat down to write, I don’t believe I’d really stopped for even a minute to focus on the reason for the season. Sure, I’ve considered it. I’ve listened to songs, read blog posts, and helped my wife put out the manger scene. But I haven’t made myself stop and consider just what Christmas is all about.
If this sounds familiar, I encourage you to stop. Stop the planning, the worrying, the regretting. Stop everything for just a few moments and say, “It’s Christmas.”
Stop! It’s Christmas. #hope #joy #writingcommunity Share on X“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:17-19, NIV)
What a beautiful example for us. The town of Bethlehem must have been as busy as south Charlotte two weeks before Christmas. I’m sure people from various regions of people scurried from here to there, taking care of the business of the day. Can you imagine how hectic it must have been for Mary?
The whole thing with no rooms. What must have been a most unordinary delivery of her first child. She had uninvited guests just days after Jesus’ birth. Shepherd, who had been sleeping with their sheep for who know how long. They just show up. Then their guests run around telling everyone else. Must have been a mad house.
Kind of like the Christmas season sneaking up on us. Right in the middle of our being busier than ever.
Mary stopped. She treasured what was going on around her and pondered in her heart.
Can we do that? Can we stop and treasure the idea of God coming to earth so that we have the hope of eternal life with Him? Is that worth a moment? An hour? A week? How about we take these last few days before Christmas and ponder on just what this means for us.
Once you do that, you’ll want to spend the rest of your life with Him.
Thank you, Lord. It’s Christmas.
Good post, Tim. Thanks for the reminder to pause and consider why we have any reason to celebrate. 🙂 Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.
Thank you, Joni. Merry Christmas to you, too.
Pausing on this quiet day. Thank you, Tim. Have a blessed Christmas with your family.
Thank you for reading, Joy. And thank you for the comment. Merry Christmas to your and yours.
Tim – I always enjoy your posts and this one is especially meaningful in the midst of the busyness of Christmas. Thank you. Merry Christmas to you and Sarah!
Thank you, Julie. So good to hear from you. It’s easier said than done when it comes to intentionally being quiet and pondering during the Christmas Season. Merry Christmas!
This year for both Thanksgiving and Christmas I chose to not do the “busy” stuff. I stayed home alone on Thanksgiving and later in the day zoomed with a writer’s group that was having a zoom connect. As Christmas began to draw near, I flat out asked God what He wanted and/or needed me to do and He was pretty clear on His answer. Spend it here at home by myself. Now having God say do not gather with others seems odd BUT GOD. You see I knew a very last minute invite was going to happen 3pm on 12/24 to be exact. The invite is always last min. It is always by a local (in town) FB only friend the other 364 a year. And God has been very clear all year long about this arrangement. So, when the invite came, I politely declined. She got very quiet on messenger for a good hour but came back and resumed where we left off and I had 100% peace in being obedient to Gods direction this year. So, this holiday season I did STOP and ponder many things as I walk out my calling in God’s plan for my life. Merry Christmas!
Teresa, that is so touching. Would we all ask God what He wants–and then, do it. Thank you for being a reader and sharing your thoughts. Merry Christmas on this Christmas morning!
Thank you for the timely reminder to focus on the reason for the season and not everything else. So much more joy and peace in that
Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment. There is ample joy in Jesus, if we would just give Him the space for it. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Merry Christmas Tim, Sarah, and Paul!! Thank you Tim for this gentle reminder!! Your posts are inspiring and an encouragement in our corrupt world today. Thank you and God bless you and your sweet family!!
Thank you, Deneil. I appreciate you letting me know. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
I love to think of Mary pondering and treasuring in her heart all that God was doing with her and all around her. A great blogpost to make us think on that!! Thanks, Tim. I hope you and your family had a great Christmas season and your New Year brings many blessings!
Thank you Jane. I hope you and yours have the same.