Tis the Season

Every Christmas season I remind myself to take it easy during this hectic time of year, don't hurry, don't rush, don't get frantic, just slow down and smell the roses. Well, that is easier said then done I think. This year, like the year before and the year before that I am just as wired and wound up as ever, errands to run, presents to wrap, food to cook.

The word "sabbath" means rest. In the Old Testament the Jews were required to take a day off during the week in order to read and study the Torah (the Law), spend time with family, and just "be". When was the last time you did nothing? No gardening, no paying the bills, no cooking, no cleaning, no nothing? When I remind myself to take a sabbath my answer is usually, "yes, great idea, I'll do it when the work is done."

Perhaps our life would be less hectic if we just took a few moments out of our day and just "smelled the roses." Enjoy a cup of coffee and look at the falling snow outside, sit and read a book that you always wanted to read but were to busy to read, or to close your eyes and remember that life is more then the sum total of our work. God values us for who we are right now. We don't have to do anything special to earn God's love.

I think a lot of what we "do" in life is either to prove our worth to our boss, company, institution, or even to ourselves. Christmas is right around the corner. As we reflect on the birth of Jesus maybe we can take a few moments out of our day to just 'be" and remember that God loves us for who were are in the here and now.