Thursday, January 06, 2011
Taking down the tree
Some people are all too eager to take down their pine-shedding Christmas tree. We got ours early this year, so it was becoming an actual fire hazard. But still, I was so bummed to see it go. It felt like Christmas flew by this year... no matter how hard I tried to suspend it into slow-motion. The dinner, the lights, the church service, the presents, the laughter, the music... it raced by like a shooting star.
So, to respond to the melancholy of the passing holidays, our family decided to celebrate the night of taking down the tree. We sang along to some fun Christmas tunes, took pictures of the kids in front of the tree, wrapped each kid with white Christmas lights, and finally decorated our official 2010 family ornament. we even went outside for a Christmas tree bonfire before bed.
I explained how it was the ultimate recycling process. The kids were thoroughly entertained by the monstrous sized blaze in our fire-pit. We have 3/4 of the tree left in the backyard to burn later this weekend; so we'll definitely have to make some S'mores.
Our family night of un-decorating the tree and house was helpful to review the season and to let it linger on for just one more night. However, I still can't take down the last few decorations. I love my hanging snowman banner that says, "Let it snow." I also display my family picture ornaments on an upstairs display shelf so that we can see them throughout the year.
There's also one new piece that I may keep out indefinitely as well. It's a red and green wooden decoration that says, "HOPE." It reminds me that the message of Christmas lives in my heart all year long. It doesn't have to fade into the storage bins like most of the ornaments. I don't have to hide this one in the garage until next Christmas simply because it is green and red.
Even though we know we have hope in Jesus all year, we sometimes forget. Somehow the baby Jesus figure in the manger scene makes it so much clearer. And we feel more hopeful while the kids are smiling and opening presents around the tree. It's just easier to cling to our Christian hope when we're on that long relaxing break.
The truth is that we can all find HOPE in Jesus and His goodness every single day. As I sat reading my Bible this afternoon, I studied the "voice of the Lord..." from Psalm 29. It made me wonder, "What does the voice of the Lord sound like?" I pictured things like thunder, fire, wind, and even a quiet cloud.
The Psalmist describes it like this, "The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars... The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert... The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare" (from Psalm 29:4-9).
The feeling I had after reading this Psalm was one of comfort because of God's power. I might feel defeated about saying goodbye to Christmas, amongst a plethora of other struggles and obstacles, but the Lord is still majestic. The Psalm ends with these words: "The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace" (verse 11).
Psalm 29 is an in-your-face reminder that no matter what's going on, you can get through it because God is there for you. It's also a passage about extending our faith. It can be hard to listen to the Lord; it's not usually an audible noise that we can record on our MP3 players. Isn't it more like a reminder of His truth through His word or a fellow believer?
Let's choose to find hope as we listen for His voice in 2011. Let's grab hold of God's strength and peace as we depend upon one another. Share your thoughts about the post-Christmas season. We'd love to hear from you. :)
So, to respond to the melancholy of the passing holidays, our family decided to celebrate the night of taking down the tree. We sang along to some fun Christmas tunes, took pictures of the kids in front of the tree, wrapped each kid with white Christmas lights, and finally decorated our official 2010 family ornament. we even went outside for a Christmas tree bonfire before bed.
I explained how it was the ultimate recycling process. The kids were thoroughly entertained by the monstrous sized blaze in our fire-pit. We have 3/4 of the tree left in the backyard to burn later this weekend; so we'll definitely have to make some S'mores.
Our family night of un-decorating the tree and house was helpful to review the season and to let it linger on for just one more night. However, I still can't take down the last few decorations. I love my hanging snowman banner that says, "Let it snow." I also display my family picture ornaments on an upstairs display shelf so that we can see them throughout the year.
There's also one new piece that I may keep out indefinitely as well. It's a red and green wooden decoration that says, "HOPE." It reminds me that the message of Christmas lives in my heart all year long. It doesn't have to fade into the storage bins like most of the ornaments. I don't have to hide this one in the garage until next Christmas simply because it is green and red.
Even though we know we have hope in Jesus all year, we sometimes forget. Somehow the baby Jesus figure in the manger scene makes it so much clearer. And we feel more hopeful while the kids are smiling and opening presents around the tree. It's just easier to cling to our Christian hope when we're on that long relaxing break.
The truth is that we can all find HOPE in Jesus and His goodness every single day. As I sat reading my Bible this afternoon, I studied the "voice of the Lord..." from Psalm 29. It made me wonder, "What does the voice of the Lord sound like?" I pictured things like thunder, fire, wind, and even a quiet cloud.
The Psalmist describes it like this, "The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars... The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert... The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare" (from Psalm 29:4-9).
The feeling I had after reading this Psalm was one of comfort because of God's power. I might feel defeated about saying goodbye to Christmas, amongst a plethora of other struggles and obstacles, but the Lord is still majestic. The Psalm ends with these words: "The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace" (verse 11).
Psalm 29 is an in-your-face reminder that no matter what's going on, you can get through it because God is there for you. It's also a passage about extending our faith. It can be hard to listen to the Lord; it's not usually an audible noise that we can record on our MP3 players. Isn't it more like a reminder of His truth through His word or a fellow believer?
Let's choose to find hope as we listen for His voice in 2011. Let's grab hold of God's strength and peace as we depend upon one another. Share your thoughts about the post-Christmas season. We'd love to hear from you. :)
Labels: Bible, hope, peace, post-Christmas, strength
