It's That Time Again

Another year has flown by!  I can sometimes hardly believe how quickly time passes!  But here we are again at the end of another year, and it's that time again.....time for New Year's Resolutions.  You know what I mean.....those ridiculous promises you make to yourself at this time every year.  Things like "I will lose 50 pounds by Friday" or "I will never allow anything chocolate to pass my lips ever again" or some other equally unattainable promise that will be broken by Tuesday.

Well, here's a news flash for you.  I don't do New Year's Resolutions!  I gave up on that a while ago.  Maybe it's a mark of maturity (??!!!!), but I finally came to the conclusion that setting myself up for failure by making promises to myself that I knew I couldn't or wouldn't keep wasn't helping me - or anybody around me, for that matter!  So, it has been my practice in recent years to set some goals for the new year, to determine a way to be accountable about those goals, and to have benchmarks that I can check periodically to mark my progress.  Maybe you do the same.  If not, it's a practice you might want to consider.

As an example, it has been my practice for quite a while now to read the Bible through each year.  (Please understand, I'm not making commentary or judgment on you if you don't do this; I'm just telling you what I do, although it is definitely a practice I recommend.)  As each year winds to a close, I'm evaluating how I did on the plan I used for the year, deciding if I want to continue the same reading plan or use a different one, determining which translation I will use for the coming year, how I will be accountable, and - perhaps most importantly - evaluating what I learned, what I gained, from the practice in the past year.

For this coming year, I have set my Bible reading goals, decided on a Bible study plan (which is different from Bible-reading), and also set goals in other areas of my life.  My health, for example.  Because high blood pressure is a fact of my life, I am purposing to do a better job of monitoring my blood pressure readings and to making better diet and exercise choices to help keep my blood pressure under control.  I have devised a tracking system to check my progress(because that's how I roll!!!).

You see, no matter what goals I set, no matter what resolutions I make or don't make, no matter what others do or don't do, no matter who is elected President or what happens to the economy.......life is not about me.  Or you.  It's all about Jesus!

".....my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death."  (Philippians 1:20 NKJV).

Are You Ready?

We hear that question a lot at this time of year.  Are you ready for Christmas?  And that usually means "have you finished your Christmas shopping?"  Or "are all your decorations up?"  Or "have you finished the cookie baking?"  Or.......you can fill in the blank.

As I have been thinking about that today, I've been remembering a sermon I heard a few years ago on this topic.  In fact, I think the pastor may have titled his sermon "Are You Ready for Christmas?"  But what he was talking about had nothing to do with decorations or shopping or cookie baking!

His point, and one I think we would all do well to remember, is that being "ready" for Christmas has very little to do with shopping or cookies or trees.  It has everything to do with Jesus.  And with a right relationship with Him.  Being ready for Christmas is about focus......about remembering why we are doing this in the first place.....about celebrating Jesus!

I'm not anti-Christmas decorations or anti-Christmas presents or anti-Christmas cookies (especially not anti-cookies!!).  But I am saddened by how easily our focus shifts away from the real reason for the celebration.

Some years ago, in a Children's Choir program I was directing, there was a song titled "Happy Birthday, Jesus."  The song centered around the fact that we each have a birthday, a "special day that comes 'round once a year" and we like for people to remember that day.  We often are given gifts on that day, and we like that!!  The song goes on to point out that Jesus has a special day, but though everybody knows it, "the fact is often clear that we forget to remember Him on His very special day."

We spend a lot of time during the Christmas season thinking about those who are special to us and about what gift we can give to let them know just how much we love them. 

Should we not also do the same for Jesus?  It's His birthday we're celebrating!!  What gift will you give this year?

What can I give Him,

Poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd

I would bring a lamb,

If I were a wise man

I would do my part,

Yet what I can I give Him,

Give Him my heart.

                                                           -Christina Rossetti