May we SEE the importance of time with You

Time. There never seems to be enough of it. It often goes by way too fast, or sometimes it seems to stand still. So much of it is wasted on things that just don’t matter.

Time. Both my enemy and my friend. As my enemy, time passes too quickly, stealing moments that I will never get back: my baby’s chubby little legs toddling toward me to plant a open mouth kiss on my cheek, my twenty-year old in shape body, the newness and excitement of first falling in love. And yet, time is often my friend as it heals wounds, both physical and emotional; as I spend precious time with my family; and as I bask in the glow of my time with the God I love.

This Christmas season, I want to honor God with my time. I want to surrender “my” time for “His” time. Over this past Thanksgiving week, I found myself enjoying time off and time away from the normal routine, but unfortunately, I also found myself spending too much time away from God. My devotional time was sacrificed for a few extra hours of sleep, my quiet time with the Lord was spent searching for black Friday deals. He was always there, and I was aware of Him in the background, but shouldn’t the King of the Universe be in the foreground of my mind at all times?

As my vacation week comes to an end, I look back and see that I spent a lot of time relaxing away from the normal routine which is good, but I look back, with what feels like sadness, at the time I missed spending with God.

This Christmas I want be purposeful about keeping God in the forefront of my mind and my family. I don’t want to-do lists, shopping strategies, and menu planning to override my time with the One who made Christmas possible. I don’t want to tell my Savior that there is no room for Him in my Christmas season. I want this year to be all about Him.

I want all the usual activities and traditions, but I want to keep myself focused on the One who left the majesty of Heaven to be born in a smelly stable for the sole purpose of rescuing a people who would reject and crucify Him. I want to SEE Jesus in every moment of this Christmas season and always. I want Him to be more important than sleep, shopping, cooking, and making Christmas magic for my kids. I don’t want to sacrifice my time with Him for anything.

Time. I want my time to matter this year. Taking time off is a good thing; unless we are taking time off from our relationship with Jesus. I realized this week that “seeing” Jesus in the everyday moments takes work and it takes time. The more time I spend in His presence, the more I can recognize His presence. But when I allow things (even good things) to crowd Him out, my vision instantly begins to get cloudy.

As a way of holding myself accountable to keep my eyes fixed on Him this season, I am going to write a very short post everyday. It will be a quote from a book that I want to meditate on that day, or a song I am going to listen to. It might be a verse or a prayer. I want to use my blog this year to keep my heart open to receive my King, and my eyes fixed on Him so that I can SEE God in the big and small moments this season.

How do you keep your focus on Jesus during the busy Christmas season? I would love to hear your tips and ideas if you want to comment below! Thanks and is it too early to say: Merry Christmas??? 🙂