Don’t Let Christmas Pass You By

The hardest transition I’ve had these past six months with baby number 2 has been the scheduling. I feel I count all time in terms of how it relates to my children’s sleep habits. How long has Denali been down for a nap? How long do we have until Bryce wakes up again to eat? Why are they waking up SO EARLY this morning?! Literally, our whole week seems punctuated by the sleep patterns of two little ones. I find myself scheduling things based on whether or not they are sleeping, about to sleep, or about to wake up…and my wife and I walk around in a haze.

That’s the best comparison I can offer about Advent and the Christmas season. I find myself planning my life around how many days we are from Christmas, what we will do on Christmas, and what happens immediately following Christmas. The season feels extremely rushed and moving at such a rapid pace toward something that we just don’t have time to slow down and live in the moment. I inwardly laugh each time I hear someone make the same cliché statement: “Can you believe it’s (insert date) already? Why, the time is just flying! Christmas is only (insert number) days away!”

I think it is a cultural and societal tragedy that we do not seem to live in the moment. We are always moving to the next date, the next activity, the next game, the next holiday, the next job, the next everything. Rarely do we sit in the moment and really appreciate what is happening around us at that very time. We spend so much time each year gearing up for Christmas without really stopping to appreciate what the season means while it is happening. It’s like the couple who plan their wedding for months and months, only to see the day go by so quickly as they forget to really experience what is going on around them during the blessed day.

Please take the time this Christmas or Christmas Eve to stop and join with a community to remember what we are building up toward this time of year. Worship with your friends and family together and in the moment. Church in the Hills is again offering a late night service at 11:00 pm on Christmas Eve that we’d love for you to attend. In any event, we hope you go somewhere this time of year to stop, give thanks, and be united with the community around you in faith, hope, and love. Live in the moment and experience Christmas anew.