Christmas rush

It's officially Christmas time! The tree is up, the lights are shining bright and the presents are getting bought. And I'm still finding time to read for pleasure....

I recenly read this book that had a great "sermon" in it about the busyiness of life and what we miss by being soo busy... here's the excerpt from Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate. It was perfect timing for me in my life right now. I hope you get something out of it too.

The pastor was demonstrating his point while juggling eggs. He started with one and as he was tossing that egg in the air he was talking to different people in his congration.... then he added another egg and kept talking to several different people.... then he added a 3rd egg and only talked to two or three people in the congration. He then added a 4th egg. While juggling the 4th egg he just focused on one person and then he went for a 5th egg. With the 5th egg in the air he just focused only on juggling- not talking to people just focusing on the eggs. Then he caught the eggs and went back to talking to different people- asking about particular issues in their life once again. He then asked a boy in the congration the difference between juggling 1-2 eggs and juggling 5 eggs to which the boy answered "At first, you was jugglin' just a couple and talkin' to folks and lookin' out here, but the more eggs you got in the air, the more you had to look at the eggs and not the folks"

"Exactly the right answer!" He then went on to ask that maybe when the Levite and the priest passed by that man who'd been robbed and left on the side of the road, maybe they had lots of things going on? Maybe they had a couple meetings to get to, the potluck list to worry about, some business deal to do, and a fund-raiser going on down at the Moose Lodge? Maybe they had so many eggs up in the air, they just didn't hardly look twice at that man layin' all beat-up and bloody, ya think? Maybe, But the point of the demonstration and the questions was that "the enemy of havin' our hand ready for God's work is having them full up with other things."

Is this you? Is this you especially at Christmas time? This is me! I find myself being too busy to focus on others during Christmas time with all the busyiness of the season- the shopping, the baking, the decorating, the dinners, but that's really not what this holiday is about! So, today as you take the time out of your busy lives I hope you can remember to focus on others, to build relationships, to be soo focused on others that the enemy won't get a hold of you!

Have a Merry Christmas and remember the true meaning of Christmas this holiday season!