A whole bunch of "to do" all around me...

This season of my life is a season for the books I tell ya. It's a good thing I actually posted a Christmas card here as many of my friends have yet to see theirs. Why? Because they still are locked up tight in the Shutterfly box on my counter. Ahhh, how I love walking around with all my "to do" things quietly mocking me from every corner of this house. Every day it grows. Like weeds!

And I am not procrastinating. Surprisingly. For the first time, I am trying to make the major things major and the minor things minor. I know all my friends love us. I know that they will understand when they receive their xmas card in February. For in the big scheme of things, xmas cards just did not fall in the major category.

Here's some things that did:
Reading my Bible
Loving my husband and children (which means too many things here to list them all)
Loving my extended family and friends (which included attending many holiday events)
Helping those less fortunate (we had an awesome opportunity to serve at the Rescue Mission this year!)
Worked at keeping Christ in CHRISTmas (our Advent wreath is such a special memory to me this year... more on that later)
Nursed many children back to health in this home, myself included

As hard as I tried, xmas cards, dusting, purging this house, some invitations to different events, cleaning behind the refrigerator, and cleaning out the car just did not make the major list. And letting those aforementioned things go, well, that was really, really hard for me. But every Sunday when we would gather around our kitchen table to light another Advent candle and talk about expecting His return, all those things suddenly didn't matter so much. As a little boy gingerly held his tiny cup of hot chocolate and the reflection of flickering candles danced in his eyes, as he bowed his head in prayer and triumphantly shouted AMEN! Nothing else mattered. In the glorious conclusion of the last candle being lit, I could not hold back tears as we stood holding candles up high in my parent's church all singing to the Lord most High. What a sight it was to behold as a thousand candles were lit in a dark sanctuary. And I pray in this coming year, that the Lord keeps reminding me through His Word exactly what He deems important.

While I lie in bed last night, feeling very ill, I began reading the book of Revelation. The whole book. I'm not sure I ever read it so intensely before. But my dad mentioned the other day listening to the book of Revelation on his Bible cd. He talked about how it scared him. And his eyes got really big. I can't remember being scared reading the book of Revelation before. I have also begun to notice recently that I don't properly fear God either. So I went to God in prayer and asked Him to show me. Wow, did He ever! By the end of the night I was on John Piper's blog reading more about the second coming and a sermon about how do you know you are a Christian. I'm serious. I've never doubted like that. But last night, I did. I needed the Holy Spirit to confirm to me that I was in right standing with Him. Because I love Him, not like I need to, not like He deserves, but I desire all those things. The Bible says, "Whoever abides in Me, I will abide in him." That is my desire. To abide in Him.