ApprehendingGrace.com

Writing about Christmas being 6 weeks away has really gotten me thinking.

I truly believe that busyness causes me to lose so much in life. Busyness is good - when it is being busy with the right things and when it is balanced with regular times of rest. With the Christmas season coming upon us, may I challenge you to be sure your life is busy with the right things and balanced with regular times of rest? If it is not, the season will rush past you in a blur and you will not enjoy it’s wonder. You will miss what God has for you.

Busy with the Right Things
Do you know what God has called you to? Some things are a given.

• You are called to have a deep relationship with God.
• You are called to meet your family obligations.
• If you are married, you have a responsibility to continually strengthen your marriage relationship.
  • If you have children, you are called to love them, care for them and teach them God’s ways.
  • You have a responsibility to honor your parents. If they are alive, that means your schedule will probably include spending time with them.
• You are called to serve God in some way. That’s a very broad calling. If you are married and/or have children, part of your service to God is your service to your family. If your family requires much time, you will have little additional time to serve God in other ways. Don’t allow any internal or external pressure to cause you to serve God outside your family if it means sacrificing your relationship with Him or your family.
• You are called to be an active part of the local Body of Christ. That means setting aside time to join with other believers to worship and serve God.

All other activities are secondary. Some secondary activities are important. Some just seem important. Ask God for wisdom to be able to tell which is which.

Balanced with Regular Times of Rest
If you do not set aside regular times of rest, you will be unable to enjoy the wonder of God. The Christmas season is all about wonder. The wonder of a newborn child. The wonder of a God who would step down from the heavens to be with us. Even the wonder of nature as snow falls in large flakes against the dark sky (at least in this part of the country). If you rush through it, you will miss the wonder. And that’s missing a lot!

So look at your calendars for the next six weeks. Be sure it reflects times of busyness and times of rest – in the right proportion. Then enjoy the season!