Today, I'm a thief....

I was about to sit down and write a blog this morning, but before I started writing I checked my email and I got a beautiful letter from my friend Melissa Irwin.  It conveyed my sentiments today exactly, so today I'm going to be a thief and steal her words for my blog.  Here is what she said:

"Tis the season to be jolly!  And yet this season leaves a lot of our fellow man singing the blues.  Foreclosures are still big news, as are unemployment, deaths of our troops, and the current political battles over taxes.  Let's be honest, sometimes it is just flat out impossible to be jolly.  The best way to improve our lives is to focus inward.  I believe we create peace when we seek it.  And I believe that joy is a choice, no matter what circumstances we may be facing.

In the past few weeks, my blog, my facebook page and my inbox have been filled with prayer requests.  I've carried a lot in my heart lately and lifted up numerous prayers....ranging from relationships between mothers and daughters, sicknesses, surgeries, sons on the front line in Afghanistan, sudden job losses, deaths, and news of betrayals.  This morning my children and I decorated our Christmas tree and as I sit here in my home office and smell the fresh sappy pine, I just cannot help but think of the people I know today who are fresh out of jolly.  I'm reminded of the season, and the reason.  If you celebrate Christmas you already know that the birth of Christ ushered in a season of hope.  Where would we be without hope?  So....if you cannot find your jolly today, my prayer is you will latch on to the hope ~ and hang on for dear life.

If you are jolly today, my encouragement to you is to spread it around.  Pour it out like syrup all over someone else.  Sticky sweet is a.o.k. and totally acceptable this time of year."

If you are a blog reader, do yourself a favor and add Melissa's blog http://untilthejasperwalls.blogspot.com/ to your reading list.  I promise you that you will laugh, cry and be totally blessed with what this amazing woman has to say!!

Gotta head now to the grocery store.... they are predicting a WHOLE INCH of snow here tomorrow, so I gotta stock up on milk, eggs and bread!   (Why do we all feel the need to make sure we have ingredients to make french toast every time it snows?)  Oh well...  Happy Holidays everyone!

Ecclesiastes 3:1

 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…”  -- Ecclesiates 3:1

That verse was in my inbox this morning and this commentary was attached:  “We are a driven culture. It seems that we want to achieve everything by yesterday! Some people may say that this is a good thing, but it seems we are perpetually tired and lack the margin to enjoy life. Solomon shows us that this is not unique to our culture. To understand the season that we are in can help us say no to many good things that are not appropriate at that particular time. May God give us the wisdom of Solomon, who knew how to focus on the right things in the right season.”

That hit me like a ton of bricks.  I DO feel “perpetually tired” and it seems that I hear most of my friends complaining of that same thing.  I’ve had 2 different friends recently tell me that they are just going to ask their doctor to put them on anti-depressants, because it seems everyone they know is on one and maybe it will help them feel better.  It’s disturbing to me how many people are on anti-depressants these days.  Don’t get me wrong… I KNOW that some people genuinely need those types of medications, but it seems the MAJORITY of people I know are on some sort of anti-anxiety or anti-depression medication.  What is that saying about our society???   What it says to me is that everyone is feeling incredible pressure these days.   The over-achieving culture we live in makes us feel like we can’t ever say “No” to any opportunity because we might miss out on something BIG if we do.  We chase every little thing that comes our way until we get pulled into so many different directions that we don’t even know which way we initially meant to go!  We get off track.  We get lost.  We get confused, tired, frustrated and depressed. 

My prayer for all of us this Christmas season is that we can step back from the “chase” for a moment and look around at our priorities.  That we can accurately evaluate what “season" we are in and that we can make better choices for ourselves and our families.  That we can leave enough “margin to enjoy life” and we can all end 2010 with some calm, peace and joy. 

Have a blessed week everyone!!