The FINAL COUNTDOWN…ba, da, da, da….ba da, duh, duh, duh. Insert glam guitars, pyrotechnics, fireworks. (Geico commercial has us all envisioning the scene). 48 hours before the much awaited (dreaded?) Christmas morning. Anticipation is strong and concurrently so is our stress. School is out. Kids are home. Expectations are high. To-do lists are long. Events are plenty. Like an Olympic athlete we have trained for this event…We are ready to multi-task like we are three people in one body.
Let’s do this- dig deep friends. Wrap that present. Visit the Dollar Store (again! and greet your favorite checker who now knows you by name). Plan those holiday meals. Grab your concealer and dab up those bags under the eyes, put on some bright red lipstick and boom! Smile bright for those family pics. Sing it with me…”It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”
As a child, I remember mama always falling asleep while the last presents were being opened at night- that perplexed me. Now that I’m a parent I totally get it. It’s exhausting.
Ya’ll- I write to you from a white cozy couch in Tennessee (hence the “ya’lls”). To be real- it’s three days before Christmas and I am totally in chill mode. Don’t be jealous- I was on that hamster wheel a week ago when we were packing for a 2 week vacation and celebrating Christmas with our clan 12 days early. I feel you. The struggle is real.
Today, though I write from the comfort of my in-law (love)’s home. My kids are all happily on screens around me (don’t judge me- they’re quiet). The window blinds are wide open wide to welcome in the rays of sunshine after the morning rain. Large pines surround the brick home and every window presents a view that could be a painting in an art gallery.
I think of you. I wonder where you’re finding yourself on this final countdown. I’m guessing you don’t even have time to read this. But for a moment join me on this couch with a piping cup of hot tea.
Here’s what I’ve learned this Christmas. It’s about WONDER: “wonders of His love.” Slowing our quickened pace. Looking deep into the eyes. Really listening. Noticing the beauty. God’s fingerprints- they’re all around us. In the handmade gift your littles made you at school. In the real hug you get from the family member you’ve had tension with. In the song that for some reason hits you different this year. In the tears you cry behind closed doors. In the smell of pine or cookies fresh from the oven. In the crisp cold air of a winter morning. It’s HIS gifts to us. His little ways of saying “I am here. I see you. You are loved.”
Do you see Him? Do you you hear Him?
When our boys were tiny- we added a baby girl to the mix. I remember thinking our house was basically a nursery. I’d carry one baby on my hip then rush around the house picking up this or that with my toes, cooking, cleaning, playing matchbox cars, and always keeping one hand available to tickle, scold, or redirect my boys. With all the activity around, the baby girl on my hip knew it took a lot for me to actually stop and fully pay attention to her. She likes FULL attention. So…even as a mere babe she’d grab my face with her two chubby hands and physically turn my head to look her in the eyes. It was the only way for her to know I was FULLY WITH her. She still does it even at age five.
I wanna grow in this – be less distracted. God knows it takes a lot for me to slow and fully be present. This season, I’ve sensed Him grabbing my cheeks, turning my head, lifting my chin to look up into His eyes. I’m seeing His fingerprints in creation, in the people around me. It’s the WONDERS OF HIS LOVE. They’re there. Do we see them?
“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonder; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.” Psalm 65:8
I don’t know where you find yourself in this FINAL COUNTDOWN. I think of you all- spinning the many plates like you do. From Tennessee I send you a big strong hug. Let my little girl’s chubby hands remind you to take moments to slow, allow yourself to feel a sense of WONDER when God reminds you to stop and take things FULLY in. In the little things remember that you are loved.
It’s in the final countdown of these sacred days I will pray for you and for me that amidst the CRAY-CRAY God will “show us the wonders of His great love” (Psalm 17:7)