January 24, 2012
To Know Him More
Mary Southerland
Today’s Truth
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better (Ephesians 1:17, NIV).
Friend to Friend
It was Christmas Eve and I had a final errand to run. One of the gifts I ordered for our grandson still had not arrived. I ordered it several weeks earlier and patted myself on the back for the great deal I had gotten, but in all the delightful Christmas chaos, I had forgotten all about it until Christmas Eve when I made the final inspection of my Christmas list and stash of gifts for the kids and grandkids.
The Customer Service manager at the department store from which I ordered the gift had no idea where the gift was or what had happened to it but offered to trace it. I laughed. Trace it? He was obviously unaware that looking for a missing gift on Christmas Eve was not an option! I pressed on. After several frustrating and fruitless phone calls, I cancelled the order and decided to take matters into my own hands. I would simply go to the store and buy another gift for my grandson, Justus.
Justus is only two years old and would not really know the difference, but his Mimi would. For months, I had carefully researched and planned the number of gifts each grandchild would receive and could not bear the thought that Justus would have one less gift under the tree than the other two grandchildren. By the way, those other two grandchildren are four years old. I know. They wouldn’t know the difference either, but again, Mimi would.
Did I have time to go to the mall? No! Did I want to go to the mall? Absolutely not! A root canal sounded more appealing at that precise moment. I still had cooking and baking to do, a few last minute gifts to wrap, a Christmas Eve service to attend and … well, you get the idea. Ho! Ho! Ho! Help!
I quickly dressed, grabbed my coat and purse and raced down the stairs. My husband was sitting on the couch, eating a snack and having a little down time before heading to church to preach the final four Christmas Eve services of the week. He looked up in surprise and said, “Where are you going? I thought you had a lot to do this afternoon!” Couldn’t he tell I was in a hurry and did not have time to answer his question or any question for that matter?
Sidebar: When I switch into my well-known and so very ridiculous “overdrive” mode, rational thinking flees and the results are nearly always ugly and disastrous. Today would be no exception.
I simply did not have time to explain the situation to my husband. After all, it would take a sixty whole seconds I could not spare. As I raced down the stairs, anger and frustration filled my heart and mind … and I fell. I fell spiritually when I said, “I do not have time to explain the situation to you. I just have to run an errand. Okay?” And I fell physically when I stumbled, missed the bottom three stairs and landed on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. My sweet husband immediately jumped off the couch and was standing over me with a look of concern on his face. “Are you hurt?” he asked, practically carrying me to the couch. A quick exam left us with the conclusion that I would probably be sore for a few days and have a few bruises. I also had a severely sprained ankle. Did that stop me from going to the toy store? Oh, no. Not this Superwoman.
I mentally donned my Superwoman cape, swallowed a couple of aspirin and limped my way to the store and back, the cherished Christmas gift in hand. I then wrapped the gift, crammed my sprained ankle into a boot and hobbled to the Christmas Eve service at church. Still and quiet for the first time that day, the worship music carried me back to that night when Christ was born. Oh, what a night it must have been! As I finally and truly celebrated the birth of my King, the Holy Spirit whispered, “Be still and know that He is God.” That truth should be the foundation for everyday life – not just for the Christmas holidays.
January is often referred to as the “blue” month. The blahs attack and a strange sense of discontentment fills our hearts and minds. A local radio host recently explained that since the holidays are over, there is a void or a vacuum left that causes those blues. I agree with part of that assessment. Something is definitely missing but I don’t think it has as much to do with the Christmas holidays as with the way we live the rest of the year.
Christmas is not a season.
Christmas is not a date on the calendar.
Christmas is a way of life.
Every day should find us still and quiet before the manger as we celebrate the birth, life, death and resurrection of our coming Lord and King, Jesus Christ. We need to learn how to seek Him and pray continually about everything. If it is important to us, it is important to Him. It is time for us to focus on how we can serve instead of being so concerned about being served. We need to keep our gaze on Him and our glance on the circumstances that so often cause us to stumble and fall because we have forgotten what is really important – to nourish and cultivate our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our heart desire should center around becoming more like Him and serving others as He did during His time on earth.
My one resolution for 2012 is a simple one. I want to know Him more. I want others to wonder why I am so joyful when there doesn’t seem to be one logical reason why I should be. I want to trust God as never before and choose to step out in faith with no visible safety net below. I want to pray with shameless audacity, knowing God absolutely loves it when I do! Join me in a new faith adventure of trusting God.
Let’s Pray
Father, please forgive me for allowing anything or anyone to occupy first place in my life. I am tired of rushing through each day in an effort to prove my worth by what I do or whom I please. I want to live each day for You, an audience of One. Use me, Lord, to impact the lives of my family and friends. Help me learn how to see the needs of those around me and give me a holy discontent with the status quo. Right now, I surrender my heart and life to You in a new commitment to know You more.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Choose one Christmas decoration to leave out this year. Put it in a place where you will see it every day as a reminder that Christmas is a daily celebration and a way of life.
In your journal, write out a prayer of commitment to know and serve Jesus more this year. What would that look like in your life? Record your description in your journal. Recruit an accountability partner who will periodically ask you how you are doing in this new faith adventure.
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