As I was thinking about this upcoming year, I was listing off my responsibilities and goals in my head. I thought, I need more sleep, I need to be more focused, I need to exercise more, I need to hit the library more, I need to eat healthier, I need to wake up earlier, I need to make a better effort to stay in touch with my family, I need to be more forgiving, I need to be more loving.
No. I need God.
I have been letting all the other "stuff" in my life get bigger than God. God has only been a small slice of my pie chart. He needs to be the entire pie plate holding everything else! I truly believe if you find God and focus on God, everything else will come into place. Don't make God fit in your life. See how life fits into your God. Accommodate accordingly.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
'Tis the Season
This Christmas has been a great opportunity for me to refocus on God, and what the big picture is really about. Christmas didn't live up to my expectations which reminded me, it's not about what we think Christmas should be. It's about God.
On Christmas Eve, my grandmother suffered a minor heart attack during church and had to be rushed to the hospital in the ambulance. She was in great company, however, got help right, and didn't have any severe problems. So there my brother and I were on Christmas Eve, sitting alone in a quiet, empty house while my parents went to the hospital. No music. No Christmas cookies. No family. And waiting for the phone.
Now that both of my sisters are adults in the real world, pursuing jobs, and married, they aren't always home when my brother and I are. They don't have college breaks. On holidays, they also have their in-law's family to visit as well. We rarely get to spend time together now with the whole family, and that was a hard thing for me to handle over Christmas. My oldest sister told me, she'd love to be with us, but if we had each other all the time, we wouldn't appreciate the times we're together.
There wasn't even any snow this Christmas, and doesn't look like there will be any soon. So Christmas wasn't what I had wanted, but it's not about me. It's about God, and refocusing on the Savior our Lord sent us. It's not about what we want it to be--shopping, presents, food, snow, Christmas decorations, or even the time with your family. I believe time with your family is extremely important over the holidays, but it's ultimately about God. Sometimes he just has to take things away from us in order for us to realize what we really need or the blessings we already have.
On Christmas Eve, my grandmother suffered a minor heart attack during church and had to be rushed to the hospital in the ambulance. She was in great company, however, got help right, and didn't have any severe problems. So there my brother and I were on Christmas Eve, sitting alone in a quiet, empty house while my parents went to the hospital. No music. No Christmas cookies. No family. And waiting for the phone.
Now that both of my sisters are adults in the real world, pursuing jobs, and married, they aren't always home when my brother and I are. They don't have college breaks. On holidays, they also have their in-law's family to visit as well. We rarely get to spend time together now with the whole family, and that was a hard thing for me to handle over Christmas. My oldest sister told me, she'd love to be with us, but if we had each other all the time, we wouldn't appreciate the times we're together.
There wasn't even any snow this Christmas, and doesn't look like there will be any soon. So Christmas wasn't what I had wanted, but it's not about me. It's about God, and refocusing on the Savior our Lord sent us. It's not about what we want it to be--shopping, presents, food, snow, Christmas decorations, or even the time with your family. I believe time with your family is extremely important over the holidays, but it's ultimately about God. Sometimes he just has to take things away from us in order for us to realize what we really need or the blessings we already have.
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