BBD 12.09.13 Holiday Distractions (Classic)
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
14,000 Subscribers
to the Email Devotional
Classic from 2005
12.09.13
Holiday
Distractions
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness
be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be
made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:4-7.
We live in western Oklahoma, and we are in the midst of a
snowstorm, it definitely looks like winter has arrived. Thanksgiving is over,
and Christmas is ahead, but you know that. I am into the holiday season and
have arrived in the writer block zone. Every year in December, I have trouble
writing. It could be because there are many things that are happening and many
things that need to be taken care of. They are also known as distractions, or
as some have labeled them, "the tyranny of the urgent."
Many are already sending Christmas cards and letters, in
addition to the annual Christmas gift buying frenzy, which began with a bang
last Friday morning for many at midnight (In 2006, sadly it all started
Thanksgiving evening this year.). Even in western Oklahoma, it was reported
that there was a crowd of 300 people at 5am at a Wal-Mart store to find the
advertised bargains. I stayed at home on Friday, but did venture out on Cyber
Monday to buy a Christmas gift for Jeanie, via the Internet. The gift has
already arrived!
There are so many distractions that can come against us
during this time of the year. We want to spend time with our families, and they
want to spend time with us. For many, this involves traveling great distances
and traveling several days at a time. There is the preparation time, for the
family time, and of course the buying of gifts. Often, there is also the
necessity of the preparation of food for the holiday meals. Along with all of
that, there are the church events, from nativity reenactments to Christmas
programs. There is also the hectic pace of school activities, where there are
almost always Christmas programs of some kind, and basketball or other sports
activities are going at a frenzied pace. For those schools that have band
programs or vocal programs, there will very likely be some special
presentations during this time. It all makes for a much busier pace of life for
parents, many of whom are working their regular schedules, and will have an
office party or other extra events along the way too.
I am sure there are many other things that could have
been mentioned that complicate our lives during this time of year. Life used to
be simpler, but even Mary and Joseph had a few complications getting ready for
the first Christmas. They had to deal with the societal pressure of Mary being
pregnant out of wedlock. Mary had to make a tough decision to have the promised
child, and she was ready to do whatever the Lord wanted. Joseph had a tough
decision to make, but he did make it, and he made the right decision. Then,
they were forced to make a difficult trip, during the very last weeks of Mary’s
pregnancy. After they arrived in Bethlehem, they had one more little problem;
there was no room in the inn. Jesus had to be born in the stables, which many
believe to have been just a crude cave.
I hope that you will not become distracted by the many
events of the Christmas season, at least not too busy to remember to include
God in your daily life. Let us rejoice during this time, and always remember
the true meaning of Christmas. There may be problems and distractions ahead for
you. They may rise up on the left and on the right. They may come at you head
on, but remember that the Lord can give you, "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" to "guard
your hearts and minds." God would
have you to rejoice in the midst of the Holiday distractions. As the apostle
Paul puts it, and he surely had his share of distractions, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"
Copyright © 2006-2013. Ed Wrather.
The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8,
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