Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
12/21/2021
How do we stay grounded in days of chaos?
If Covid 2021 wasn’t enough, then the holiday scurrying will certainly derail and frazzle the best of us. We are doing too much, with too little, for too long and we are waiting for Christmas morning to arrive so we can open the presents and be done. Except for the credit cards that need to be paid.
The trap is not setting boundaries. Not establishing expectations of gift-giving and the real reason for Christmas vs the one the world electrifies in all its ads for the gift-giving.
It’s not too late to STOP. Put a bridle on that runaway horse, when the truth is, for all of us: All I want for Christmas is YOU.
We know that we want that, but we get caught in this flush of emotions and traditions that continually have to be reeled in every year. Did I say EVERY?
Some older people have more joy for tomorrow than they did decades earlier and become cheerleaders for hope in their communities, families, and congregations. They become the voice of reason and conservatism that we need so badly. They have discovered that the things that matter aren’t those that will rust and decay. They have come to value relationships in an electronic world that strangles the idea of touching, and family and putting Christ in Christmas.
The message should be to refocus on what the reason for the season is.
Yes, we know the saying but we too often don’t live it. We need to return to hope again and again. Keep trusting, Keep believing. Keep making progress in your personal relationship with Jesus and you will find your family and friend relationships grow exponentially.
Read Rev.1:19 (KJV).
“Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;” Put your life in order. Begin with the end in view. Take a look at your life and the seeds you are planting.
Write down the past, present, and future. What is it you see? What is it you dream of? What is it you will die for? What did the year look like? Where are your seeds of redemption and forgiveness rooted? What are you grounded in exactly? Or is there no time now. I will do it tomorrow! But tomorrow always gets squeezed into nothingness or some lame attempt at planning.
“Getting Grounded” means that you have clearly defined yourself as one whose worth is dependent solely upon who you are in Christ. Your value as a person, the meaning of your life, and the significance of your contribution to the world all flow from your relationship with God. If this is off-kilter then so is everything else.
1 Cor 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain”.
Proverbs 2:1-12
My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
Then you will understand the fear of the LORD,
And find the knowledge of God.
What will you do with these thoughts today? What does God want you to do with these defining words today?
Are you really grounded in Christ at Christmas?
Did you carve out some quiet time today
and say YES to whatever he is asking of you?
