It started driving home the other day after a quick trip to Safeway. I decided to check out the Christmas music playing on our Christian radio station. The song they were playing was one of those that had been "played to death" last year and my first thought was, "This is the first time hearing it this year and I'm already sick of it!!"
Yesterday, December 1st, at breakfast I opened up the Bible and looked at the devotional for what passage to read. "Luke 2". I said to Bryan, "May as well leave the bookmark in Luke 2 cause that's where everyone's going this month, as usual."
A nagging in the back of my mind...Where is the wonderment, the joy, the anticipation that is supposed to come with Christmas? Not just the Christmas shopping, gift giving, and fun decorations...why am I not enjoying CHRISTMAS anymore?
Yesterday at Bible study, Beth Moore was talking about becoming "bored" with God and it struck me that I have become so used to the Christmas story, have heard it so many times and in so many different ways, that I've forgotten to enjoy it. I've heard and know it, let's move on. It happens every year, let's move on.
But Bryan started me thinking, after my comment about Luke 2 yesterday. After reading the passage he said to me, "Can you imagine what it was really like for those shepherds? They're resting peacefully and all of a sudden the sky is bright and an angel is standing there? They must have been really scared at first!" (That was a paraphrase, by the way.)
So this year I'm challenging myself to look at the little details and think about the Christmas story in a renewed spirit of wonderment. What must have been going through those shepherd's minds? They were ordinary people, too. I'm sure it was a story they told for years...an angel had appeared to THEM!!!!
Praying you too will find renewed wonderment and joy in yet another season of Advent.
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