TURN THE VOLUME DOWN PLEASE!
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Here we are barely through Thanksgiving
and Christmas is already here. The
stores decorated by October 1st to get us thinking ahead, as if we
didn’t have enough to worry about. The
television commercials were already showing icons of jingle bells, Santa, and overselling
the ‘got to have it’ items to the children’s audience.
I was sorely disappointed when I found my
favorite channel showing Christmas programming before November and taking over
my favorite comedies. For goodness sake,
can we concentrate on one holiday at a time?
I do enjoy the holidays. I love
the nostalgia of it all, but do not appreciate the over-crowded stores, long
lines, aisle-ragers, or watching people stress over the pressure of what to buy. It drives me insane to think that we have
become so commercialized.
Our society
has become so stressed and caught up in the daily dismay of ‘to do’s’. We
hardly take time to converse anymore. I can recall several times being asked how I was doing and then leaving the scene before I had a chance to answer. Seriously, why bother asking, if you’re not
going to stick around to find out?
Yes, we all have agendas,
schedules to meet, places to go, people to see. Yes, it's now Christmas time. However, I cannot recall a single moment in scripture where Jesus was so
hard pressed for time he didn’t take the time to visit with someone. We can be on our way to visit with someone
and still come off as unwelcoming and too busy to say hello and mean it.
Luke 10:30-33 ESV
Jesus replied, “A man was going
down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and
beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was
going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the
other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he
saw him, he had compassion.
Did you get that? The priest saw the beaten man but didn’t
stop. A minister of God didn’t stop! We must be careful not to become consumed
with our duties, ministries, or agendas that we miss out on the opportunity God
may be trying to use us in. The scripture below is a perfect example of what some
do when making plans for holiday gatherings.
Luke 10:38-42 ESV
Now as they went on their way,
Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And
she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his
teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him
and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?
Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are
anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has
chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
How many times have we been so
busy preparing the house, cleaning, cooking, and making sure everything is in a
state of perfection before allowing guest into our homes? Or worse, guest arrives and you’re still busy
running around straightening up, and picking up their plates before they finish
their last morsel.
Sometimes while sitting in front
of guest, before long I’m dwelling on loading dish-washer, checking bathroom
to ensure towels are still in place, taking out trash. Some call this OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). I call it OCAD (Overly Concerned and Distracted).
It’s vital to make time to engage
in conversation. You can’t build
relationships without communication. Texting, tweeting, and Facebooking
doesn’t count! Those dishes can
wait. The laundry isn’t going to fly out
of the basket in a rage if put off. The
floors, well don’t get me started on floors.
However, I am learning that sometimes those floors will have to be
dirty, we have pets, we have kids, and we have construction mud from Hubby’s
boots. It isn’t toxic waste, just
filth. I read this wonderful passage
from one of my favorite writers.
Erma Bombeck had written this
piece when she found out that she was dying.
If I Had My Life to Live Over
-By
Erma Bombeck
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of
pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the
day.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a
rose before it melted in storage.
I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if
the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the “good” living
room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire
in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my
grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would never have insisted the car windows be
rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have sat on the lawn with my children and
not worried about grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching
television, and more while watching life.
I would never have bought anything just because it
was practical, wouldn’t show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy,
I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside
me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never
have said, “Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.”
There would have been more “I love you’s.” More
“I’m sorry’s.”
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would
seize every minute… look at it and really see it… live it… and never give it
back.
Be deliberate! Spend your
God-given time to encourage, and engage in others while doing your to-do’s. Let the volume of love resound at Memorex
levels. Turn the volume down on distractions that detour your purpose, God’s purpose, His love for His people.
Keep in mind that holidays are
difficult for many who have lost loved ones, broken relationships, job loss, illness
or homelessness. Suicide rates heighten
during the holidays.
Take time to pay attention. Listen
to those around you. Turn down the
volume of your busyness. Listen to the Holy Spirit as He leads you to someone in
need of a touch from God. You never
know, that person you just brushed off, may have had an encouraging word for
you.
-Brenda A. Graff
Founder of Food For Soul Magazine
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