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Whee!

Recently, I had the most delightful experience on a plane. I know, domestic flights are not typically  “delightful”. But what made this one memorable was the child sitting next to me with her mother. 

On take off, the little girl clapped her hands with excitement. Both she and her mother threw up their hands and arms like they were riding a roller coaster and exclaimed,“Wheee!”, Goodbye San Diego!”

It made me smile because they were having such fun.  Most people are a little tense on takeoff. Not them. Any fear of flying, or sense of danger in taking off, wasn’t even in their minds. They weren’t thinking of all the things that could happen. They were just in the moment. They were together, they were having fun and looking forward to arriving at their destination.

The lesson didn’t escape me… What if we tried to approach life that way? Not thinking of all the things that could happen, but enjoying the ride a little more. Just trusting Him, taking life as it comes, and looking forward to our eternal destination? 

Like riding a roller coaster, we can either be afraid and have a death grip on the safety harness, or we can raise our hands and enjoy the ride; assured we are going to make it to the end, even if it seems like we are going off the rails at the moment.  

I know life brings ups and downs, real trials and tribulations, and I don’t want to diminish that or pretend it doesn’t exist. But, I want to be more like that little girl. I want to raise my hands and say, “Wheee! Here we go Lord!”  He knows exactly what we are facing, what we are going through, and He’s got us.

More faith. Less fear. Knowing that as followers of Christ, we are safe in His arms and will most assuredly reach our destination.

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10 NKJV

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Get Real

More and more people are opting to buy artificial Christmas trees, rather than fresh. I get it, I really do. The trees are “one and done” and always perfect right out of the box. No fuss no muss. 

But after spending many years in the Philippines, where real Christmas trees weren’t an option, I vowed to never again have a plastic tree. I’m pretty adamant about getting a real one each year, even if it’s only a small table top, “Charlie Brown”version.

Real trees come with some problems though. They can be expensive and you have to buy them every year. It’s hard to find a tree that has the right shape all the way around with no bald spots and a straight top. They drop pine needles all over your car and all over your house. Then, as you lift and finagle them into the tree stand, you’ll likely get sap all over your hands and drop even more needles! Then, you have to water them everyday or it will be a dried up stick by Christmas Day. Yes, it’s a messy business. But at least it’s real, I tell myself. So why bother?

Well, I prefer it that way!  And, I prefer people that way too, don’t you? Those that are not afraid to be honest and admit everything isn’t perfect. How refreshing. Because my life isn’t perfect either! You know what? God prefers us that way… real. He wants us to come to Him just as we are. We don’t have to pretend. 

Let’s come to Him with our sticky messes, our crooked tops and misshapen attitudes, our bald spots, blind spots, and dropping needles all over the place. Because when we do, He will lovingly take us, stand us up, and adorn us with His own righteousness. And, to top it all off, He gives us the perfect gifts of His Holy Spirit. How glorious!

So, whether your tree is perfect, pitiful (like ours), or you have no tree at all…let’s turn our eyes to Him, humbly get real, come and adore Him, and then remember why He came:

“Mild He lays His glory by

Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing

“Glory to the new-born king”*

*From “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”

By John Wesley, 1739