I decided to ring in the morning with a cup of Door County Jingle Bell Coffee. Two more days until Christmas and I for one am lighting up the Christmas tree all day long.
We all know this type of person. They are the ones we see as lighting up the room with their personality and charm. They are the ones you always want to have around, especially in a crisis. You look forward to seeing them. They are the one's who always say the right thing and just seem to make the world a better place by being here.
All too often though we don't see ourselves as that person. We aren't filled with wit and charm. The personality bus seems to have left the stop without us. We have screwed up a few times in life and seem to be labeled at best as a mediocre person. We don't like to believe that about ourselves but it seems that we have clung on to that label and at times made it a safety zone. A safety zone we created against getting involved or getting our feelings hurt is not really safety at all. It is Satan's way of robbing the world us us being in it. When we crawl into the hole of self mediocrity we are robbing the world of experiencing us. Everyone has or can have someone who needs us and wants us to be around. For them the world would not be a better place without us. One thing, something, makes us important to them. But the self made hole of misery and mediocrity has us hiding inside not wanting to come out and be part of this world for those who count on us. This is actually a form of selfishness. Life might have burned us once or twice so we withdraw not making ourselves available to others. The mediocrity hole make us our number one priority. Out heart stopped beating for others.
If you make yourself your number one priority, everything else will fall in place. Selfishness never leads to serenity for yourself and certainly not for others. Yes, we should take care of our bodies, soul, and minds as they are a temple unto the Lord. However, our temple is not a shrine and our chief aim is not the satisfaction of ourselves.
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:4-7, ESV)
Maybe you burned some bridges in life that should be mended or maybe it's time to build bridges of relationships. I once heard a man say "I have no family and I have no friends. No one needs me." I pointed out to him a veterans home, full of lonely old guys that could use a friend. I said to him, there's a building of friends to be made in there. He has since been visiting there for 10nto 15 years. He is there when one more older man passes from this world. They do not die alone. He makes the last part of their world a better place.
Friends, God created us and knows just where we are. He made us to be relational people. Satan on the other hand would rather see us holed up and miserable, not sharing your life with others. If people invite you out, it's not just to fill a seat at their table. It's because they really want you there. No one is an obligation to anyone. Satan plays tricks with our minds and want us to be miserable and withdrawn. Don't fall for the trick. Get out this Christmas and bless others by just being there. You are part of their world for a reason. Enjoy the days given to you and them.
Marry Christmas,
Marty
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