Take Your Christmas Gift

It happened so quickly, didn't it? 

December 1

What happens in your heart when you see that calendar date?

Do you feel LIST PANIC pound forward shouting its various themes: 

"Get that,  make those,  send these..."

or 

Does CHRISTMAS WONDER swell upward and lift your spirit

 with an irresistible flutter of anticipation?

Too often in my life, I've let list panic dictate how my December will be spent. 

I confess to squashing Christmas wonder in favor of checking off tasks, acquiring items and completing chores.

 I exchanged what could have been a holy season in my walk with Christ
 for a  month-long obstacle course of exhaustion. 

This month, I invite you to join me - let's  deliberately choose Christmas wonder. 
We are poor people indeed, if we cannot manage to find fifteen minutes to sit, hands in lap, 
and consider the miracle of Emmanuel. Why not push away the panic 
and draw near to the manger with an inclined heart
 to consider the magnitude of His plan to provide a way of salvation for mankind. 

I encourage you to take this daily, fifteen-minute, December gift for yourself---grab
 it like the last cashmere scarf on a 90% off display! Let's fight for it!
 Let's boldly neglect holiday fluff in favor of the good stuff.

* I hope to provide several "messaged" photos for inspirational sharing this month. This one was taken through a shop window in Madison, IN, on a Christmas get-away. The humble posture of the shepherd impacted me, and I thought it might have the same effect for others as well.