The store shelves were stocked all neat and tidy
In hopes that shoppers would come to Black Friday.
And come they did, with elbows flying,
Rushing and shoving and swarming and buying.
One woman, to get others out of her way,
Even resorted to using pepper spray.
Guards were stationed at Walmart to control the crowd
In case the shoppers became too rowdy and loud
With pushing or fighting or giving a shove
As they prepared for the season of brotherly love.
Psalm 100:1-5, "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."
How quickly we went from a national attitude of thankfulness to a national attitude of materialism. Thanksgiving Day was swiftly followed by Black Friday, with stores opening earlier than ever before and crowds of people waiting for hours outside for the doors to part.
Certainly I hope that the merchants do well during the Christmas shopping season. Surely we all want to have good gifts to give our family members and friends as a symbol of God's greatest Gift to us.
But it is so easy to become too caught up in the spirit of shopping. It is sometimes difficult, but so important, to keep all this in perspective and focus more on the spiritual implications of the Christmas season rather than the material ones.
How easy it is to cross Thanksgiving chores off our list of Things To Do and write in the items that will prepare us for Christmas. But I suggest that we never cross off a thankful heart nor a grateful attitude but live in Thanksgiving mode all year long.
Father, may everyday of the year be a day of Thanksgiving for Your blessings. May we turn our eyes from the material to the spiritual during the Christmas season and all year long as well. Amen.
When my house is cool and quiet
Sometimes I think that I just might
Snuggle down in bed as in a cocoon
And sleep and nap and doze till noon.
But something always wakes me up--
The phone, a child, the doorbell, my pup.
When people are born, they are known not only by their names but also known by their connections to their parents and other family members. In school people are known mostly by characteristics or roles--he's football player, she's a cheerleader, she's a good student, he is President of the Student Council, etc. When we marry we are known as someone's wife or husband, and when we have children we are known as someone's mother or father. Many people are known for their vocations or for other things that they do. Almost everyone has various roles in life.
As important as my family roles are to me, there is one role which I want to define my life above all others, and that is Christian. I want to be known as a Christian first and foremost. I want to be a Christian mother, a Christian grandmother, a Christian friend. I don't want to be defined as a cancer survivor but as a Christian who so far has survived her battle with cancer. Whatever other roles I have or will have, I want to primarily be known for my faith in God and my service to Him.
I was delighted to read of this same desire in Friday's "Decatur Daily" article featuring local artists including Courtney Croxdale. The article opens with these words, "How would you define yourself? Courtney Croxdale uses the words 'Christian. Alabama native. Traveler. Adventurer. Artist. Designer.' Courtney added these words, "I don't consider myself a Christian artist, but Christian defines who I am and what I do. And what I do is art, so it is an extension of my faith."
How would you define yourself? What is the most important role in your life--your defining role? How do you think you are known? How do you want to be known?
Father, when people see me, I want them to think of You first of all. Amen.
Of all the paraphernalia that comes with babies
One has the others all beat.
There are no "ifs", no "ands" and no "maybes;"
When a baby is born, everything is all about him or her. The baby cries when it wants any kind of attention. A baby doesn't care if it is the middle of the night or Mother is trying to take a bath or Daddy is on the phone. Baby doesn't think of anyone but itself and what it wants and needs. It is totally self--centered.
It takes about twenty years to civilize a newborn human, to teach it to obey laws and have nice manners and be friendly and peaceful toward others--to get along with its fellow man. But one attribute above all others is pleasing to God, and that is a caring heart, sympathy for those who suffer, a willingness to help others in their difficulties, a true concern for the wants and needs of other people, a selfless outlook.
Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith we cannot please God.
The thirteenth chapter of I Corinthians ends by saying that love is even greater and more important than faith in God's sight. John writes in I John 3:11, "This is the message you heard from the beginning: we should love one another." Philippians 2:4 says, "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." And Ephesians 4:32 adds, "Be kind and compassionate to one another." I Thessalonians 5:11a reminds us, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up."
This attitude of caring and compassion is more easily caught from someone who models it daily than, taught by instruction. As a matter of fact, kindness is a fruit of the Spirit, a by-product of walking under the control of God's Holy Spirit and loving others with the love that God has placed in our hearts, with that same wonderful love with which He loves us.
Father, thank You so much for Your love for me. May I be a conduit of Your love to all I meet. Amen.
