maryfromtheprairie on Revelife

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Saturday, 06 December 2008

What gives?

The Holidays. 'Tis the season to be jolly, or so the song goes. People everywhere are actively engaging in discussions about what they want to receive under the Christmas tree. People are bringing their kids to the malls to sit on Santa's lap to whisper to the red-suited-guy what their most desired toy is. The dreaded ChiaPets start appearing on drug-store end-caps. And judging from the commercials, more people buy electric razors this time of year more than any other. (Perhaps it's to shave the ChiaPet?)

When people think of the term "materialism" it is though of in terms of someone wanting something for himself, someone who is not content unless he receives "things." But it appears there is quite a bit of materialism on the giving end as well. In fact, according to AdventConspiracy.org Americans spend $450,000,000,000 (that's $450 Billion) on Christmas! I don't know how the bean-counters came up with that dollar amount, but that's a lot of ChiaPets and electric razors!

There's a lot of talk around the office fax machine and water cooler about what people are giving kids and loved ones for Christmas. What's sad is when the discussion includes the lament, "I don't know what I'm getting for my (insert close family member) for Christmas this year." Or the growing cop-out, "I just give gift cards. Everyone can use a gift card."

Hold on a minute! If you're a close relative you should know something about their tastes, their likes and dislikes, their passions and pet-peeves, right? It would make sense that you might be able to think of something meaningful without much prompting, especially from someone who doesn't even know the recipient. Having to even ask a question like that indicates that there's more you need to know about these people in your life.

Here's an idea - Rather than think of the perfect "thing" to get for someone, consider what you can give that will show that you are interested in knowing your loved ones more deeply over the coming year. For example, if you know someone who keeps a journal, give a comfortable pen (or refills for his - or her - favorite pen) and a blank journal (in his - or her - preferred style - leather? hardcover? spiral-bound?), with the first entry from YOU, saying how much he or she means to you and how you hope he - or she - grows from the journaling experience. If you want to give more, a gift card to Starbuck's - or It's A Grind - would be a nice touch.

Or, here's an other one - Let's say you already succumbed to buying a ChiaPet for your daughter. Add a note to it with a written commitment to go to the local SoupPlantation (salad bar) for lunch once a month - just the two of you - with the purpose of getting to know each other better.

And ladies, if the Norelco Electric Shaver is already under the tree for your man, add a note telling him that you would like to spend more time face-to-face, to know him better, during the coming year. (Guys, if you even THINK of doing this for any female in your life make sure your funeral plans are taken car of!)

There are as many ways to get to know each other as there are cheesy, useless gifts out there. What gifts will you give this Christmas to get to know your loved ones better?

Saturday, 29 November 2008

Fun during the holidays

What makes Christmas time fun?

Is it decorating the tree? Gatherings with family and friends? Singing Christmas carols? Dressing in the sweatshirts and sweaters with pictures of snow scenes that you only wear in December? Showing kindness toward others? Counting down the days before Santa arrives? Exchanging gifts?

All of these things can be fun. In fact, I have participated in all of the above at one time or another. The activities themselves are not necessarily what makes for a fun holiday. In fact, if you look at these things as mere “activities” they can become just another to-do for the already stretched to-do list.

If you look in the dictionary for what “fun” is, two words appear: enjoyment and playfulness. Fun combines the act of play and the feeling of joy. So what makes something “fun” is to approach it with a sense of play and a feeling of joy.

You know why kids look forward to the Christmas season so much? They know how to have fun. They have an inherent sense of joy, and play like nobody’s business! But who makes the rule that after a certain age boys and girls, who have grown to men and women, can no longer have fun? I don’t remember seeing that in the contract…..

So be a kid. Decorate the place. Make popcorn garland for the tree, and eat a few pieces from the string, even if someone is watching. Sing loud, and sing proud. Wear your Santa hat to the grocery store, to the doctor’s office, to work, to Sunday school. Play till your heart’s content, and play some more.

Express your joy. Stop and pause at the manger scene. Kneel down and bow your head and honor the Savior. Yes, kneel, even if it’s in public. Don’t worry – God will send an angel to help you back to your feet. Share with someone how Jesus changed your life. And after you do, do it do it again and again.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)

Thursday, 20 November 2008

Busyness
About six months ago I made a commitment to post something on my blog at least once a week. Well folks, judging from the date of my previous post it seems I haven't been that committed. Sure, not a day went by that I didn't think about what I should post. I'm even part of a group of bloggers that take turns choosing topics every week. Blogging is something I enjoy doing. So why the lapse?

Here's an answer: busyness.

Over the past couple of weeks I had some things come up that were out of the ordinary, requiring time to be devoted to making sure they got done.

Turns out that "busyness" is really a nice way of saying that I failed to be disciplined in my time. Don't get me wrong - the things that came up had to be taken care of and were more important than blogging. However, when it comes down to it, my schedule is really not so tight where I couldn't sit down and write something. Writing is something that I enjoy doing and I would like to devote more time to it than I have been.

In all of this, I was reminded of a valuable lesson: There is a difference between being busy and being productive. In a nutshell, "busy" is the getting ready to do something, and "productive" is getting the same something done. For example, when I sit down to write my blog, "busy" is often looking for a suitable picture; "productive" is putting words together to actually say something that is (hopefully) of value (or perhaps something of silliness - who knows?).

So what are some steps I can take to get over the "busyness" and become more productive with my time? Here are a few:
- Pray. Seems to me that when I pray for focus on the task I want to complete, I have fewer distractions. God answers even these kinds of prayers.
- Make a "to-do" list. Don't overload it with thirty hour-long projects - Just the major things. And prioritize the items. Do the most important things first.
- Partner up with someone. Whether it's a study group, an exercise buddy, or (as in my case) a blogging group, having a partner keeps you accountable and strengthens your resolve to follow through to completion.
- Don't fall into procrastination and excuses.
So don't just sit there - Stop being busy, and do something productive!

Monday, 27 October 2008

Counting Your Blessings
The Irving Berlin song "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" (made famous by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney in the movie "White Christmas") tells us,
```
When I'm worried and I can't sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings
When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings.
```
There must be something to this "count your blessings" thing. I've heard the advice given more times than I can remember, and I've even put it into practice in my own life. When you feel discouraged or let down, make a list of things that you are thankful for. Next thing you know, you're spirits are lifted. Maybe not in a "now I can take on the world" way, but you at least feel better about yourself and your situation. There's a word for this phenomenon, and that word is

G R A T I T U D E.

Gratitude. Thankfulness. When we think of these feelings we often associate them with events and situations where we have received a gift or a favor from someone else. Most of us can think of several awesome things we have received over our the course of our lives -- birthday and Christmas gifts, being taken to lunch when we didn't expect it, someone helping you financially when you really needed it. And when we express our gratitude it is right to express it to the person who gave the gift in the first place, whether it is a friend, family member, the waiter who kept our water glass full, and especially to God, who gives us everything to begin with.

The Bible tells us, "it is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). With that in mind, perhaps we should see gratitude not as a by-product of receiving something, but an opportunity to give to others. Our gratitude should compel us to extend that feeling to someone else, to "pay it forward," if you will. Taking advantage of "grateful giving" opportunities often involves a desire to do good for others financially. But for you whose "bankroll is getting small" it does not necessarily mean having to give something tangible (see my post on "Being Useful"). It simply has to be from the heart. Often a word of encouragement or a gentle touch can be worth far more than any "thing" bought in any store, and the feeling of gratitude felt by the recipient can last a lifetime.

The typical question in a post about gratitude is "What are you grateful for?" I'll close with a twist on that typical question and ask,

"Outside of your normal circle of influence, who has shown gratitude to you this week, and why?"

Comment me, and let me know.

Tuesday, 14 October 2008

Dealing With Discouragement

Discouragement is nothing new to mankind. In fact it is something we all wish we didn't have to deal with. It happens when our plans don't turn out as well as we expected, and we get frustrated that we don't see a way to fix the problem. Sometimes we want to just walk away and quit.

But more often than not, quitting is not an option to discouragement, especially when it comes to raising kids or making it to another day. So how do we keep on going when we want to abandon our plans?

One suggestion might be to re-examine the plan. Whose plan is it anyway?

In Jeremiah 29:11, God tells us "For I know the plans I have for you."

It is important to plan our lives with God's will in mind. We ask God to be part of our plans. We may even petition Him with something like, "God, help me to gt this job so I can afford to take my family on a vacation next summer." Now, there's nothing wrong with wanting to take your family on a nice summer vacation. But let's take a closer look. The prayer that was lifted up amounts to this: "God, this is what I want (the vacation), this is the way I want it to happen (make money on this job), and I want You to arrange it." No wonder we're discouraged when it doesn't happen -- we just put ourselves in charge of God!

Perhaps a better approach would be for us to present our requests to God, laying them at the foot of the cross. We should surrender our plans to Him, and thankfully and humbly receive our place in His divine plan for us.

Will that mean that we will never experience discouragement? The apostle Paul went through some pretty discouraging times in his ministry (see 2Corinthians 11:23-29). Jesus himself must have felt discouragement when his own followers didn't understand (John 6:60-67 comes to mind). So, yes, we will have periods when we are doing the work that God has called us to do and not see it bear fruit. But we can take encouragement from the words that Paul wrote to the church at Philippi:

"Be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."