Oh the busyness of the Christmas season! I hit this week leading up to Christmas with my running shoes on and sprinting out the door.
Like you, I’m super busy. And some of my busyness is messy … clean the house, wrap gifts, cook, do the dishes. Somebody’s got to do this stuff. Know what I mean?
My reasoning … if I need this reminder from a post I did in December 2009, so might you!
How to redeem a messy Christmas
Cleanup is not my favorite Christmas ritual. Twenty-five big and little people make lots of messes, so I cleaned the kitchen six times on Christmas. Tom took the last shift. He also bagged wrinkled wrapping paper and vacuumed before I tided up the house.
I decided this year to approach the obvious with an attitude of ritual. The seasons, patterns, and decor of holidays vary, but the ritual of cleanup remains. Recognizing it as part of the holy in the “holyday” creates a place for honoring Christ in the mundane part of the celebration.
A. W. Tozer once said,
It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, but why he does it.
Approaching the kitchen sink as holy ground cradles my work in a positive perspective. Sitting to rest my back every so often also helps.
I don’t know what my job assignment will be in the new heaven or new earth, but my resume will definitely list: “Exceptional Maid, Cook, and Bottle Washer.” I hope it also notes, “Works with a positive attitude.”
Enjoy these last few days leading up to Christmas … and redeem the messy!
Need another nudge? Try Holy Disorder
Susan
“Jesus likes it when we share.” -Adelaide, age 3: Pass this along to everybody and their brother. OK, maybe not everybody’s brother, but you know what I mean … all of your friends would be nice.