No, this is not a blog about hair!:)  It is about the winter wonderland that I was thrilled to discover this morning.  The pine trees were frosted with fluffy white snow and the sunrise light was awakening the chilly morning with a warm glow- breathtaking.  Thank You God for the wonders of Your love…

The sunshine-headed son, he asked me to come.  Come and be with him- spend time together.  I eventually got there- the two of us listening to his Awana CD, learning about God’s Word, and just being- side by side.  Looking at him, studying him…this boy, this five year old- this son.

Why don’t I slow down like this more often, if but for a few moments- look, really look and see?  In the movie Avatar there is a line when one of the main characters says to the other, “I see you”.  My husband and I have often said that to each other since.  Often though I don’t think he believes that I do really see him.  Too often I am not really present, I am too distracted, too much crowded up in my brain….ideas, worries, ponderings, frustrations, to-do lists, etc.  Why?  As Martha (from the Bible) I am often, “worried and bothered about so many things” (Luke 10:41)…”but only a few things are necessary, really one only, for Mary (her sister) has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42).

Let’s pause and examine this last verse.  Few things are necessary, really one one.  Am I doing or possessing too many things?  Things can be a blessing, but do I need all these things?  A good friend talked about this as she was getting ready to move.  The things she had accumulated felt more like a curse than a blessing as she tried to sort, organize, and move them.  Reminds me of the movie Up… when the elderly man had to throw his stuff out of his house because (as he was trying to get it to fly) it was weighing him down.  Now, this thought process of sorting through your stuff can be literal and/or figurative…let’s ask ourselves:

1.  Do I have too much stuff, that is weighing me down or choking the life out of me?
2.  Do I have baggage I haven’t dealt with that is starting to overtake me emotionally and seep into my everyday life?
3.  Is there too much on my plate?  Am I spread so thin that I am not able to be, to be present, to choose the few things, the one thing, that is necessary?
4.  What are the few things (important/eternal things) that God has asked me to do?  Am I  doing them?
5.  Is there room to breathe, to take deep breaths, in my life?  Is my family’s schedule crammed with too many activities/commitments?

Let’s look at another passage of Scripture that is a parable of Jesus…talking about the sower and the seed.
Luke 8:11  “…Now the seed is the word of God.
Luke 8:14 “And the seed which fell among thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.”
Luke 8:15 “And the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.” (NASB)

When you hear, read, study God’s Word does it produce lasting fruit in Your life?  Are you consumed by the worries of life (are they choking your ability to truly live a present, full life)?  Or, does the Word grow, putting down roots, bearing sweet fruit in your life?  Jesus sows the seed, do you have a heart open to receive it- to receive Him?  If not, ask Him to till the soil of your heart…to have a heart that has good fertile soil, holding fast to the Truth; a life changing because of the Holy Spirit’s work and your cooperation with Him.

Challenge:
1.  Slow down, be present, really see and experience the wonders of his love- His holy presence.
2. Follow His lead about your commitments/activities- don’t let guilt, pride, or people-pleasing dictate what you say “yes” to.  Leave plenty of room for the necessary thing(s); your relationship with Jesus and those He has placed before you.
3. Be at peace with Him- ask Him to help you see His grace in this winter season.