The Joy of Life and the People In It

Hello, friends! Today, as I was putting up Christmas decorations with my daughter, a thought struck me: it is fun to be a parent.

Now, that may seem obvious, but bear with me through my self-discovery.

Last year, I put up Christmas decorations all by myself. I didn't even have my dog for company, since she isn't allowed inside the house. But this year, my daughter and I put up the decorations together, and it was pure bliss.

We had a bunch of her art projects on the mantle; we took most of them down, but she insisted that her decorative dinosaur bones needed to stay up. Therefore, they're still on the mantle next to three nativity scenes.

Then we put up the Christmas tree. I'm innovative (read: cheap) and when my tree stand broke last year, I simply put the tree in a bucket, stuffed fabric into said bucket so that the tree would stay up, and then covered the bucket with my favorite Peruvian blanket as a tree skirt. She thought this solution was hilarious and wouldn't stop giggling. She also loved looking at all of my Christmas ornaments, especially since a good number of them have dates on them. We found two from my very first Christmas. She thought that was incredible.

My daughter also added some "ornaments": some pipe cleaners, feathers, strings, and necklaces. Because hey, who put a definition on "ornament," anyway? She also gave me a somewhat exasperated look when I put my Drake Bulldogs dog bone on the tree. "Really, Mom? Really?"

Sometimes (read: too often), I focus too much on the negative aspects of being a parent. I get irritated when she steals food from the fridge, exasperated when she doesn't do her work at school, frustrated when her hygiene leaves something to be desired, and I forget that she's also smart, beautiful, funny, enthusiastic, loving, caring, curious, and just plain fun.

So if you're like me and you often ignore the better parts of life, take a moment tonight and remember the joy of life and the people in it.

Focus

Hello, friends.

I have spent way too much time recently focusing on church politics. It is important to discuss the issues of the church and make decisions for the benefit of the congregation, but when I spend maybe half of my work week complaining about what's going on at church... that's too much. That's not why I'm at Redeemer.

My grandpa's funeral today reminded me of why I am at Redeemer. The service began with Psalm 23. The pastor pointed out that the last verse had been fulfilled for my grandpa: "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." That's what my grandpa is doing now, and that's why I'm at Redeemer - so that when it comes times for the funerals of my kids and youth, the same will be known about them.

That's where my focus should be. That's where all of our focuses should be. It's time for all of us, at Redeemer and elsewhere, to put church politics aside and focus on the eternal goal.