Skip to main content

Plan Ahead.




My plan was to write an Advent reflection on Wednesday.  It is now Friday, and I'm finally getting around to writing the advent thoughts.   I failed to plan.  I wanted to get it written, but life got in the way and, I'm afraid, I didn't budget my time very well.   I did, however, get some Christmas gifts done.  I have been doing some personalized gifts, and they took way longer than I had anticipated.  So, while the gifts delayed my blog, I did get the gifts done, and that was one of my plans.   I started planning last January for some of the gifts.  As I said before, I am not a planner, but I am learning that not all planning is bad.  In fact, planning can reduce stress as long as we use the plans like a flexible ruler.   At Christmas, it is easy to want to stress about giving gifts because we have little money.

  • One thing, I did this year, was starting a Christmas savings.   When I started buying gifts, I had money so I am not stressing about how I will pay for the gifts.  I know that everyone may not be able to do this, but if you can, it will reduce stress.  
  • Another thing I did was to make notes when I saw or thought about a gift for a particular person.  Occasionally, if it was a small item, I bought it at that time and put it away.  Usually, It was when I wanted to spend time with one of my girls.  We would shop; it was a twofur. I spent time with my children and got a head start on Christmas gifts.  What a stress reliever when everyone else is going into gift frenzy you can relax and concentrate on other things.
I'm learning to apply this to other areas of Christmas as well.  Start a little earlier in planning; it's easier when the kids are grown.  Trust me on this!  Then know what's important to you about Christmas.  I love baking cookies with my girls, so we make plans to do that.  We made cookies and joked about "The elves mistakes".  The cookies that broke or burned.  When my daughter left, my other daughter said, "Thank you!  That was fun."  Now that was a Christmas memory that was worth every bit of the planning it took to accomplish the task.  If God could spend two thousand years on the first Christmas gift, then plans are not bad unless they make us inflexible.




It was almost Christmas time
There I stood in another line
Tryin' to buy that last gift or two
Not really in the Christmas mood
Standing right in front of me was
A little boy waiting anxiously
Pacing 'round like little boys do
And in his hands he held a pair of shoes
And his clothes were worn and old
He was dirty from head to toe
And when it came his time to pay
I couldn't believe what I heard him say
Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my mama, please
It's Christmas eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful, if mama meets Jesus tonight


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Thank you God for Leading us

Thank you God for how you lead us. Like a shepherd leading his sheep. Sometimes through the words you spoke in the Bible, your written word. at other times, it was the wise words from friends,  coworkers,or neighbors spoken at just the right time. Still other times it was a gentle tug,   a whisper to our heart to move  in one direction or another;  intuition or a sixth sense that one   way or another was right or wrong    Yet, when I listened and obeyed   I found the way was clear, distinct and easy to follow. You never leave us to guess which way to go.                                                                                                      ...

Grow Old Gracefully

I’d like to tell you about a lady I visited yesterday.   She is ninety-five years young.  She recently moved into nursing home.  She asked one of the workers how many times she would have to walk around the outside of the building in order to walk a mile.  She said the person told her about ten.   Then she leaned in really close and whispered, “I walked around twelve just to be sure I walked a mile.”  Hahahaha! What a lady!  She loves to keep active, even in a nursing home.  As we talked, I saw no anger or bitterness in her speech or actions. There was only a love for God, a heart of compassion, and a sense of humor. She has befriended the one "prickly pear" at the home because as she said, “I have to love her, so she knows Jesus loves her too.”  Wow!!! I need to live like that!  I want to show that much compassion for those around me that need Jesus.  She loved to talk about God and what he was teaching her. ...

What’s That Smell?

To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. 2Corinthians 2:16 Last break!  The shift was almost over. Then the unthinkable happened, this man appeared out of nowhere wanting to know where the flashlights were kept.  As we were on our way to the flashlights, I noticed that this man had a very strong odor.  I thought perhaps I could get in front of him so that the smell would not be as strong.   That, however, was not to be either since; he insisted on keeping pace and walking right beside me. By the time we got to where the flashlights were; I was practically running just to keep ahead of him.  I showed him the flashlights and made a hasty exit.  If you’re like me, you shower and even put on perfume or cologne so that you will not stink.  We are concerned that the smell coming from our body is not offensive to others.  As I write this, I wonder if we are as concerned with our spiritual aroma as ...