Lauren Sparks

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Why You Shouldn’t Slow Down this Christmas

December 5, 2019 by Lauren 34 Comments

We are too busy.  Everybody knows it, lots of people feel it, but not many of us know what to do about it.  And this time of year we usually ramp up the hustle and bustle.  There are so many things culture – or our own traditions – tell us we must be doing.  Shopping, wrapping, baking, decorating, going to parties and events.  It can be a hoot, or it can be exhausting.  It can be meaningful, or anxiety inducing.

 

Every year in December, I encourage my yoga students to evaluate their holiday activities and consider eliminating, or revamping, those that don’t bring them joy and peace.  And I read a meditation to them.  The source or author I have forgotten, so I can’t give credit where it’s due.  But I think it still deserves a share here:

This is the beginning of a new day.  I have been given this day to use as I will.  I can waste it, or I can use it for good.  What I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.  When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something I have traded for it.  I want it to be gain, not loss; good, not evil; success, not failure; in order that I shall not regret the price I paid for it.  

 

The pastor at the church we attend speaks often of lingering in God’s presence.  But this past Sunday he preached on hurrying to linger with Jesus.  The second chapter of Luke tells a familiar story to believers celebrating Christmas.  Here we read about the birth of Jesus and the host of angels that appeared to a group of shepherds in the field to tell them about it.

 

Verses 15 and 16 read, “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger.”  These young men heard the best news the world has ever known – that the Savior of the world came down to earth in the form of a baby to forgive the sins of all who believe.

 

The Holy Scriptures do NOT indicate that the shepherds sat down and discussed their options, or debated whether or not the announcement was true.  The didn’t clean themselves up first or make arrangements with their families.  They HAULED IT to be with Jesus.  Oh, I’ve been thinking about this message all week.

 

When was the last time you woke up excitedly anxious to spend time with the Lord?  I hope your answer is better than mine.  If I’m honest, instead of hurrying to get to Him, I often hurry through my time with Him to get to something else.  But when I do linger in His presence – studying His word intently, searching for true meaning – blessings abound.  Like one of those plush blankets we wrap up in, His love envelops me when I sit and listen to Him during prayer.

 

The richness of time with Jesus is better than the most expensive gift given this holiday, because it changes us.  And that is definitely worth trading my time.  For this reason, and so many others, I’m following the example of the shepherds.  I want my rushing to be in His direction this Christmas.

 

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And look up these great writers I link up with every week:

InstaEncouragements, Literacy Musing Mondays, Hello…Monday,

The Good. The Random. The Fun.

BloggerClubUK, Tea and Word Tuesday, Purposeful Faith,

GraceFull Tuesday Link-Up, Hearth and Soul Link Party,

Let’s Have Coffee, Welcome Wednesday, Recharge Wednesday,

Worth Beyond Rubies, #TellHisStory Link Up, Porch Stories,

Encouraging Word Wednesday, Tune In Thursday,

Stories of Hope, Moments of Hope, IHeart Verse Link Party,

Legacy Link Up, Fresh Market Friday, Feature Friday Time,

Friendship Friday Blog Hop, Faith on Fire, Traffic Jam Weekend,

Faith ‘n Friends, Dancing with Jesus, Grace & Truth, Booknificent

 

 

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Filed Under: Bible reading, Christian, Christmas, Jesus, joy Tagged With: advent, hurry, linger

Comments

  1. Martha J Orlando says

    December 6, 2019 at 1:37 pm

    I’m rushing right along with you, Lauren! Wonderful thoughts today, my friend.
    Blessings!

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 6, 2019 at 9:36 pm

      Thank you, Martha! We will be richly blessed to rush to Him.

      Reply
  2. Andrew Budek-Schmeisser says

    December 7, 2019 at 7:18 am

    I don’t have to chase The Man,
    He’s walking here with me,
    part of the master plan
    to reach eternity.
    Every step has now been turned
    into a cancer-wrought devotional,
    an whatever merit I have earned
    is now just circumstantial.
    He didn’t take that rough hard Cross
    because I had been so good;
    He simply could not bear my loss,
    and was thus nailed to the wood.
    His love was one I could not force;
    ’twas He said No to soul’s divorce.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 7, 2019 at 10:57 pm

      This is beautiful, Andrew. Thank you for sharing it with me.

      Reply
  3. JENNIFER K COOK says

    December 7, 2019 at 9:52 am

    Lovely post. Visiting from your neighborhood FMF party.
    I like being busy and in a hurry at times. I love that we should be hurrying to be at the feet of Jesus. What a great reminder/concept. Hope we all find time to linger a bit with the Lord today and everyday.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 7, 2019 at 10:58 pm

      Me too Jennifer. Thank you.

      Reply
  4. Chrissy says

    December 9, 2019 at 10:06 pm

    Lauren, thank you for this sweet and gentle reminder. I’ve been struggling with this and the struggle lays on guilt, which makes it harder sometimes, right? I ordered Paul Tripp’s book “Come Let Us Adore Him” and that has been a great refresher for me! Have a blessed week Lauren and again thank you!
    ~Chrissy, Granola & Grace

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 10, 2019 at 1:31 am

      Praying against guilt for you right now, Chrissy. I love Paul Tripp so I should check out that book! laurensparks.net

      Reply
  5. Sarah Geringer says

    December 10, 2019 at 6:30 pm

    Love this perspective, Lauren! Sharing on Twitter, friend.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 11, 2019 at 2:42 pm

      I admire so much your generosity to me and other writers. You faithfully share and it means so much to me. Thank you, Sarah.

      Reply
  6. Lisa notes says

    December 10, 2019 at 6:38 pm

    I love your take on this, Lauren. I was intrigued by your title. 🙂 We often tell each other to slow down, slow down. But there are times when we need to haul it! Thanks for sharing this.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 11, 2019 at 2:41 pm

      I can’t take the credit, my pastor inspires a lot of my writing with his sermons!

      Reply
  7. Patsy Burnette says

    December 11, 2019 at 7:54 pm

    “They HAULED IT to be with Jesus.” and so should we! Great post, Lauren. Thank you for these important reminders!

    Tweeted.

    Thanks for linking up at InstaEncouragements! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 11, 2019 at 8:55 pm

      Shout out to my pastor for the idea! Thanks, Patsy.

      Reply
  8. Laurie says

    December 11, 2019 at 8:52 pm

    Oh, yes! Hurrying to get to time with God, rather than hurrying through our time with God to get to something else. Thanks for the good reminder!

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 11, 2019 at 8:53 pm

      You are so welcome, Laurie!

      Reply
  9. Cheryl Gerou says

    December 12, 2019 at 1:06 pm

    Hurrying to be with the Lord, desiring that time of sweet intimacy, to be held in His love, and grow in knowing Him more….why do we seem to race through our time or skip it altogether? I know I needed this reminder. I allow other things to rush me through or to take the place of the time that I have set aside to be with Him. Thank you for sharing this. I need to hurry off to be with Him every day!

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 12, 2019 at 2:41 pm

      Me too, Cheryl. Other things seem more urgent, but nothing is as important.

      Reply
  10. Cheryl Gerou says

    December 12, 2019 at 1:10 pm

    I get in the trap of hurrying through too! I need to learn to hurry to be with Him instead. Thank you for this reminder, especially during the busyness of Christmas, it is is easy to forget Who should be at the center of our priorities!

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 12, 2019 at 2:41 pm

      Amen.

      Reply
  11. Lois Flowers says

    December 12, 2019 at 6:41 pm

    Lauren, What a great point … that the shepherds didn’t sit down and discuss their options before they rushed off to see Jesus. I’m guessing the angels were pretty convincing, but the shepherds still had to up and leave in the middle of the night! I love the idea of hurrying to spend time with God each day. 🙂

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 13, 2019 at 2:59 pm

      Me too, Lois. Preaching to myself here. Thank you.

      Reply
  12. Shelbee on the Edge says

    December 12, 2019 at 9:05 pm

    Lauren, this is a fantastic post and so inspiring! I try to live my days this way as well. And a gentle reminder is always a good thing. Thanks so much for sharing and linking up.

    Shelbee
    http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 13, 2019 at 2:58 pm

      Thanks, Shelbee. I hope to encourage others to be present this Christmas.

      Reply
  13. Laura Thomas says

    December 12, 2019 at 9:23 pm

    Rushing to spend time with Jesus… I love this! I’ll remember that, especially as the shepherds are mentioned over this Christmas season. Thanks for sharing. Stopping by from #tuneinthursday

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 13, 2019 at 2:58 pm

      Thanks for reading, Laura!

      Reply
  14. Rebecca Hastings says

    December 13, 2019 at 11:56 am

    This question made me stop: “When was the last time you woke up excitedly anxious to spend time with the Lord? ”

    I think some things need to shift in my life so I can get to this place.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 13, 2019 at 2:57 pm

      Me too, Rebecca. I was preaching to myself!

      Reply
  15. Michele Morin says

    December 13, 2019 at 1:25 pm

    What an invitation to joyous celebration! Your title totally drew me in!

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 13, 2019 at 2:57 pm

      Thanks, Michele.

      Reply
  16. Maree Dee says

    December 14, 2019 at 4:26 pm

    Lauren – I love the idea of rushing to be with God. When I fly, that is precisely how I feel. I can’t wait to get in my seat and then up in the air to spend time with God. I want to feel that way every day. Great post! Maree

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 15, 2019 at 8:58 pm

      What a great way to spend your travel time! Thanks, Maree.

      Reply
  17. Tracey Carr says

    December 15, 2019 at 9:18 pm

    I wish I could slow down the hustle and bustle – so does my husband! We don’t spend enough time together and we haven’t been spending enough time with our daughters either recently. House refurbishments have taken over our lives. But in the last two weeks we have been learning to drop the paint brushes and go out together as a family and it has been fantastic. I am really looking forward to this holiday period for that reason. I have already told him that I am not particularly interested in fancy Christmas gifts. All I want is for us all to spend time together. If I can achieve that I will be very happy! Thank you so much for linking this beautiful post to #globalblogging x

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 15, 2019 at 11:04 pm

      I know what you mean, Tracey. I’m not good at it, but want to do better! Merry Christmas.

      Reply

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I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
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