It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I was driving down the road today, in a rush to get Max to his neurologist - just one of the many things on my long to do list. I had the Christmas tunes on because I was trying to distract myself from the heaviness of this appointment.

It didn't take long until I was singing along with Max and the radio. While we were playing spot the Santa, it hit me suddenly that there are only 11 more days until Christmas.

When I was a kid, the month of December dragged on for what seemed an eternity. Remember that feeling? Now it seems as though it comes entirely too fast. There are never enough hours in the day to get it all done. My how things have changed.

My thoughts turned to God and how he probably feels like that about us. We spend a lot of our lives waiting for the next stage that doesn't seem to come fast enough. In the meantime, God is up there working like crazy to get us ready for that stage, hoping and praying we'll slow down enough to be able to handle it when it gets here.

I'm trying to approach this Advent much like I'm trying to deal with life these days - one day at a time. I'm striving to enjoy the season in spite of the business of it. I'm listening to Christmas music a lot. I'm recording Christmas movies to show the kids. I'm slowing down at the houses with all the lights. I'm praying that I stay focused on the real reason for this season. Beyond all the physical stuff that needs to get done, I'm trying to prepare my heart for the birth of my King.

When I succeed at doing this, I always remember why this is indeed the most wonderful time of the year.