‘Tis the season . . .
It’s different around here this year. Last weekend’s early Christmas with the grands and a few little packages already in the mail have allowed the quiet to settle in. As I sit in this tiny 300-square-foot trailer, I wonder what next Christmas will look like. Will we be in a new house a few yards away? I hope…
Will the lessons I’m learning during this adventure between the big old house we restored and whatever lies ahead truly make a difference in my everyday?
It’s good we can’t see the future. Never would I have thought we’d still be living in this fifth wheel 1 year + 2 weeks after selling our house . . . and that we wouldn’t yet have signed a contract with a builder (although we’re getting close). I don’t know that we’d have begun the adventure had we known, but it’s been a blessing. 2017 has been a long year filled with many unexpecteds, and I’m grateful we haven’t been in the middle of building our Finally Farmhouse.
This cozy little space has been exactly what we’ve needed.
Notice the flock of turkeys in the distance.
This is the last Five Minute Friday of the year. Today’s word prompt is
START
As I draw close to the stillness of this season—the waiting and anticipation of the birth of Christ—I think often about being different. As a Christian unashamed to call Jesus my Lord in a world where Christianity is embraced by fewer hearts every year, I wonder what “different” should look like.
How can my choice to follow Christ not simply be a personal choice but one that reflects God to those around me?
. . . reflects God’s love and invitation to a lost world around me.
I’ve professed to be a Christian for 47 years, but I have not “arrived”. By no means. There’s so much I have to learn about what that means— being a Follower, not simply a Believer. Living a dirty faith, not simply talking about it.
I do know the path has put me in places and relationships I never foresaw.
I know I’m stronger, yet gentler, because of it.
I want to be different. I don’t want to stay the same doer of good deeds. Maker of poor choices. Self-centered sinner.
I’m asking God to change me from the inside out. To keep refining me so I can be purer. More like Him.
It’s a forever path, and it all started with the Babe in the manger—the reason for this beautiful season.
STOP
Where are your thoughts this morning? Are you giving in to the Christmas “crazies” . . . or are you taking time to intentionally slow down, breathe deep, and listen to that still, small Voice? The ones around you are watching. The ones around me are watching.
Your question about how to be a follower in this current world struck a real chord with me as it is something I am thinking about as I head into 2018, too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Visiting from FMF.
Rosanne, thanks for stopping by. When my husband wrote Dirty Faith: Bringing the Love of Christ to the Least of These, I was totally immersed (as his editor) in thoughts of what it means to be a follower, not just a believer. So much in Scripture to think about, absorb, and digest… I plan to re-read the book over the holidays to recommit myself to being intentional. I encourage you to consider reading it, too.
Merry Christmas! May 2018 be a year of new beginnings and intentional choices.