So yesterday I got a call from my mom in Ontario. She informed me she was WELL on her way to cleaning up all the decorations from the past holiday season. (Ok, truth be told I was pretty jealous!!!) About a week ago, my son got an email from my Dad sharing that he had put away all the outside Christmas lights and the house was "back to normal". (obviously, they don't have little ones begging, pleading, whining to keep the lights and glitz of the season glowing!!! :-) )
So, (with a renewed energy from my mom's motivation) after the phone call yesterday, in a fervor, when my husband had taken the kids to the pool, I madly dashed around our home, dismantling "christmas". (You'll notice it is WITHOUT a uppercase C - because these window dressings are NOT Christmas!!!!) I tore down the garlands, took off the shelf decorations, removed the wall decor, took down the lights (BELIEVE ME = the tree was already removed to the end of our driveway by the 28th of December!!!!) and as I scoured the walls, shelves and tables, I stood in the middle of the kitchen proud as a peacock, that I had dismantled christmas before the kids were able to come home and complain!!!!
Sure, it was all sitting down in the basement in a heap. But upstairs?!?!!?! There was no sign that christmas had ever happened at our house. (And BOY OH BOY - if Keith turned on the outside lights. . . . . .not a good scene! ;-) ) And so, in my proud moment, I continue to pack away the remnants of the past 8 weeks. The twinkling lights. The sparkly garlands. The shiny balls. The decorative ornaments. All. . . packed. . . away. Back into the darkest recesses of our basement.
And with the beads of sweat still trickling down the sides of my hairline, the truck rolled in and I quickly placed myself in front of the TV to see if anyone would notice the transition. (You see, when I put UP the decorations, my son hadn't even opened the door and he noticed the joy and sparkle and shine of the decorations. He couldn't contain himself and was quick to announce to everyone - ITS CHRISTMAS!!!!)
Yesterday however, it took about an hour before he commented, "Mom, why did you take down the garland around the door?". . . . . and with a sudden start, came the realization that all the holiday decorations had been removed. But, it took my kids to tell their dad (about 4 or 5 hours later!!!!) that the decor was removed, to which he commented, "Oh ya, I guess it just looks like normal."
So all that to say. . . . . . .
What do people see in us? When we are on the mountain top, it's easy to exude joy. To radiate God's love and endurance. What about when we are in the valley? Do we quickly strip away the "decorations" and "show" people that God has "abandoned us?" Despite the dark moments, are we still able to sing God's praises?
Please don't misunderstand me. I don't mean that we have to be all smiles when dark times come our ways. God gets that these are tough times!!!! But are we still able to direct the sparkle and shine of God's love towards Him? Are others still seeing the outwards signs that "God is in us"? We can be sad. We can be lonely. We can be hurt. We can be broken. But we can STILL direct our praise and gratitude towards Him - the one who made us.
As Christians, we don't want to ever take down the "trimmings" of what God has done for us. We may be fighting difficult battles, but does our heart reflect what God has done for us? When I am going through a dark time in my battles, do I try to focus on the positives rather than the negatives?
From September to December, I went on a 100 day journey of praise. It was so easy to say "my day stunk, but I am thankful it wasn't as stinky as other days." Okay so not those words, but it was easy to draw negativity into what was supposed to be gratitude!!! "I am as sick as a dog, but thankfully I am still alive." Do you see what I mean? It doesn't seem like drawing glory to God!!! It doesn't seem like we are drawing attention to the wonderful things that God has done for us. Because THERE ARE SO MANY!!!!
As I have taken down the trimmings of our holiday, I have become acutely aware, that I do not want the glitz and glamor of a life lived for God to go away, just because we aren't celebrating His birthday. I want EVERY DAY to be a day that we showcase the God that sent His Son to die for us. Let's not get bogged down by the mundane things of every day. Let's IMAGINE all the amazing things that He has yet to do through/for/with us. Just because the decorations are gone, it doesn't mean the joy has to be gone.
The joy is not in the trimmings. It's what is in your heart!!!!!!!! Is your heart full for God? Then share it!!!! Let's not strip down the decorations that we put up in 2014. Let's add to them. Let's share with others the joy of 2014 and encourage them to see all that God has prepared for us this year in 2015. It's a good year. It's a new year. It's a year of God's continued GRACE. . . . FAITHFULNESS. . . . FORGIVENESS. . . JOYFULNESS!!!!
It's a good year. Let's make sure others know it's because of God's great love for us!!!!
GOD IS GOOD!!!!
