Christmas Hide and Seek, Ready or Not, Here I Come!

Okay, you were warned and now it has happened. We are officially into the Christmas holidays on this Tuesday, December 1, 2009. There are a number of websites that count down the remaining shopping days by the second if you are that hard up for watching something. Don’t think for a moment the advertisers are in the dark in terms of cultivating new customers. Our little Alex, four, wants 100% of everything shown on the commercials while he is watching cartoons. I’m not talking about one or two items here and there, he wants every single item being promoted. He’s got a good excuse since he is just a little guy, but what about those of us who have been around the block many times but we are still living in a dream world of seeking stuff of all kinds to satisfy the longing of our heart? We excuse ourselves with clichés. God knows I am human. Why did God make me this way if He didn’t want me to be happy? Or, as the old country song put it: How can it be wrong when it feels so right?

Ambition is a good thing. Being willing to pursue the use of the abilities God has given is a good thing. However, as the saying goes, it always comes down to this: The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart. My mom was telling me how much my stepsister has enjoyed being with family, in fact, she treasures each and every moment. She has ALS and it is terminal and it is advancing at a fairly rapid pace. Mom said her eyes and her determined sweet smile communicates volumes about what is important in life. We experienced the same situation with my baby sister who succumbed to Leukemia at the age of 27. She lived out her remaining 18 months of life on a spiritual high. She hated to leave her husband and three daughters but she was so looking forward to seeing her Savior face to face. Instead of focusing on things, she spent her time witnessing to those on her list, one on one in person, by letter, or by telephone. What a message! She inspired us all and we are still talking about it 30 years later.

If we are honest, I think every one of us has a been there done that experience as it relates to looking for love in all the wrong places. We’ve all thought if I could just get this promotion, or purchase this item, or have this particular situation work out, then I will be happy. Life doesn’t work that way because true satisfaction can only be found in a Person, not in any of the 'all' things we might possess. Life is like the fellow who bought a new suit with two pairs of trousers but ended up burning a hole in the coat. The Apostle Paul wrote these inspired words to his young protégé Timothy in his first letter, Chapter 6: 6) “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7) For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8) And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” My stepsister, my baby sister, and so many others learned by necessity how to look at life through the lens of eternity. That view changes both perspective and priority as it magnifies that which really matters. May God help us all to learn this lesson early, and not late, and especially, not too late. Amen. ….More later.