So, today was a typical day. Me trying my very best to make my home a peaceful haven for my husband, ie. running around up and down the stairs like a chicken with my head cut-off to attempt to get caught up on laundry, dishes, dusting, cooking, as well as the ever present rearing of children. I was actually getting quite a bit done without too much stress which was a nice change from my omgiamsolosingmymarbles type days. While I count it an answer to prayer, God also needed to remind me that while having a tidy home is good, it is not what is most important.
He did this in such a clever, unexpected way, as is typical with the way of God. I was putting my older boys to bed. Right now our routine is potty time, bible story time (which also gives us a set time every day to practice sitting still and listening), lights out, prayers, sleep. I picked up where we left off in the New Testament of The Beginner's Bible Timeless Children's Stories, when we came to the story about Mary and Martha. Mary is sitting and listening at Jesus' feet while Martha rushes around doing all the housework. Martha gets irritated that Mary isn't helping her, but Jesus explains that Mary "has chosen what is better. She is listening to me." I've heard that story a bagillion times, but this time- reading it in a children's story bible- I finally "got it", not in my head, but in my heart. So many days I end the day feeling sad and guilty that I didn't spend anytime with God in the word or in prayer other than to send up the emergency prayer like "Lord, so and so's friend/sister/mom/dog was in a carwreck/is in preterm labor/had a heart attack/has to be put down, please be with my friend and let your will be done." So often I just treat God like a vending machine.
Anyway- back on subject, so many times I end the day and feel the Holy Spirit convicting me of neglecting my relationship with God and I always try to rationalize and justify it with myself saying how much there is that needs to get done in a day that is my responsibility and blah blah blah. Today is the first day it has really sunken in that God is more important than have the table wiped off. God is more important than getting that load of clean clothes put away rightthissecond. God is more important than stuffing diapers/making beds/emptying the dishwasher/responding to an email....None of those are bad things in an of themselves, but when all is said and done and I have to stand before Christ and give account, is he really going to care how often I vacuumed? Is my heavenly Father going to be pleased that I put folding towels and matching socks and wiping counter tops before my relationship with him?
I want to get all this blogged out so that I can have a reminder that my home is not going to fall apart if I take 10 minutes to touch base with the person who sacrificed his life for me. The towels and socks and dusty coffee table will all still be there.
What do you do to celebrate Christmas that is different from the way "the world" celebrates Christmas?
That has really been on my heart lately as now my boys are more aware of things and I really want to impress upon them that Christmas is about Jesus, not about goodies and presents and Santa. We already don't do Santa (per hubby's request actually), but I don't think the Christian life should just be about the things we avoid. I think even more so it should be embodied by the things we DO participate in. When I was growing up in a christian household, i knew Christmas was to celebrate Jesus' birth, but I really didn't see what we were doing to actually do that. We did Santa and had a tree and presents and basically celebrated Christmas just like many non-believers celebrate Christmas. I figure if we are christians, then the way we celebrate should be different. Does that make sense? I don't want to just celebrate Jesus and his birth with my words, but with my actions, too. This year I was thinking we could do advent and a Jesse tree. We never did either when I was growing up. In fact, I had never even heard about advent until a year or two ago and even that was just hearing the word, not really what it was about. I had never heard of a Jesse tree until this past week or so. It was suggested to me by a mom on Christian Homeschool Fellowship when I asked how I could do more in the home to teach my kids about Christ.
Since we don't do Santa anyway, I want zero Santa paraphenalia in my home. I'm not going to shield them from Santa Claus stuff outside the home, (How could I? It's everywhere!) but I do want to make it clear in the way we celebrate that Santa is not 'the reason for the season' and one way to do that that I can see would be to eliminate that icon (unless it is in a historical context) from my home. Truthfully, I don't really want ANY sort of icon or image that doesn't directly involve the biblical standpoint.
What are some things you do to put the focus on Christ during the Christmas season?
Since we don't do Santa anyway, I want zero Santa paraphenalia in my home. I'm not going to shield them from Santa Claus stuff outside the home, (How could I? It's everywhere!) but I do want to make it clear in the way we celebrate that Santa is not 'the reason for the season' and one way to do that that I can see would be to eliminate that icon (unless it is in a historical context) from my home. Truthfully, I don't really want ANY sort of icon or image that doesn't directly involve the biblical standpoint.
What are some things you do to put the focus on Christ during the Christmas season?
