Forgotten Gift

I'm back in Wisconsin and leave for Jacksonville again on Dec. 27th.  Since being home, I've had a great time with family.  Last year when I came back for Christmas, there was no snow until the morning that we had to drive back, which wasn't a fun experience.  Yesterday, we were blessed with a couple inches of snow.  I've missed the snow, how every branch on the trees has a little bit on it, the sound of shovels scraping against the cement, dogs barking in curiosity and excitement.  I have to admit, my default is to play before work.  Instead of shoveling the driveway, I immediately went to the closet to look for my winter jacket that I left here, searched the house for gloves, found them, then went to the backyard to start rolling.  A small sphere became an even bigger ball became an unliftable mass of cold.  It stopped snowing for a while, then a very light drizzle of rain came down, making the snow even better for packing.  An hour later, bam.  Snow Santa and a very happy 24 year old.

(Can't do this in Florida)

One of my highlights before leaving Jacksonville last week was getting the opportunity to see a couple of the after school program kids perform and help out at their school's winter performance.  Diallo and Alex go to Brentwood Elementary School of the Arts where art, music, dance, drama, etc. are all offered.  Only a few days before the Dec. 13th performance did I even know that Alex played the violin.  Diallo was there passing out the programs for the show, a job fitting his increasingly helpful personality at school.  My roommate Marc, our friend Ernest, and I went to see this show and had a great time.  We sat by Alex's family and when Alex by the side of the auditorium saw us there, he was excited to see us, proudly holding up his violin, smiling, and waving with his bow.  It was great to see the kids outside of our responsibility at the program and just enjoy being around them.  Those are the times I remember most, seeing the kids at the park on the weekends or in the classrooms when I come volunteer.

As I'm writing this blog, alone in the house for a few hours, I realize that my world goes really fast, my brain is always thinking about things to do, and I rarely make time to just sit quietly, think, thank God for all He's given me, meditate on how things have been going with me and Jesus.  With limited time at home, I know I want to make the most of it and see as many friends as possible and busy my schedule so that it doesn't feel like I'm wasting time, but that hasn't been good for my soul or my relationship with God.  I need prayer to just slow down, knowing that no time with friends and family will ever compare to time spent with the Lord.  No Christmas movie, no Packers or Bucks game, no perfect present on Christmas morning can capture my heart like He can.

It's been difficult for me lately to really be real with people, as you might've read in the last blog.  Some of the most powerful moments in my life have come when I've been real with people or people with me.  I could tell you story after story of times when I've felt His presence on me to pray for people, fellowship with others.  God is so good yet I ignore him so often.  God is so full of grace yet I take him for granted.  God is so loving yet I sometimes find it hard to love others. 

"It's been a long time since I've really looked in someone's eyes."  This lyric from the song "Spark" by Andrew Ripp has been resonating with me alot.  In fact, almost the entire song speaks much of what I'm feeling.  I'm glad that it's been stuck in my head all week.  It's from his Christmas album, which by the way is amazing.  I've been very impressed by Andrew Ripp's music after only hearing about him in the last couple weeks.  Please sit back, have some hot chocolate (if you're actually experiencing a winter) or some sweat tea or egg nog or whatever it is you drink around the holidays, and enjoy this very deep song.  Have a very blessed Christmas.  Spend time with the Lord, a gift you think you might be giving God when actually the gift of His presence will be given you.  Don't forget the gifts God so freely gives us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq0Ibz_-oLs