December, December. It's the last hurrah of the year and one of my favorite months to celebrate. We are just getting back in the swing of things after a really great Thanksgiving break at home. I love Thanksgiving break for many reasons. It's less full of all the Christmas things like presents and programs and lots of places to be. It's focused on good food and gratitude and gatherings with family, three things I happen to like a whole lot. And it's the perfect little precursor to the Christmas season, providing windows of opportunities to celebrate all that makes this upcoming month good, and to rest and prepare our hearts and minds to enter into it well.
It always takes me a little time to settle into a new season. There were moments this past weekend where I was admittedly overwhelmed by it all. So many ideas I felt lured to squeeze into our days, so much pretty on Instagram that both inspired and overwhelmed, and a few moments where I felt a little sad that things in our home seem to be shifting away from those fragile and magical little years and into a new season of celebrating the holidays a little differently. When it's been so good, you just want to hang onto that good. But to quote my girl Kelle Hampton, there is always more right ahead. And the way to find more isn't likely to be found scrolling someone else's Instagram feed or getting caught up in my unrealistic attempts to do all the things to hoard this season, but to simply look and be grateful for this precious present right in front of me.
I'll write more about this later on this month, but we had a simple and special day welcoming Advent yesterday. There was no children's ministry in church so we had the kids (and their cocoa) in the seats beside us. We sang festive Christmas hymns and Cruz, who now stands about to my shoulder, sang his heart out. I even saw some praise hands at one point, but made a point to not make a big deal of this because I didn't want him to know I was in that space with him. He was feeling it and I shook my head in awe of this boy he's growing to be.
And afterwards, we started our first family advent study together. I've spent lots of money in the past on different types of Advent books and table cards and while they are pretty and definitely have their place, what I really wanted this year was to just teach Cruz to navigate his Bible and understand the bigger story of God in that little manger story we all know so well. I purchased a set of blank little journals from Amazon, gifted the kids those and a set of gel pens and highlighters, and I spent some time showing Cruz how I read and mark up my Bible when I have verses I like or notes I want to write as I read. He was so excited when I shared that I trusted he was smart enough to do the same.
So yesterday, the four of us sat down with a free reading plan from Gather and Grow. We read Genesis 1-2, took individual notes, and shared our observations with each other over coffee and cocoa. And I learned something new from my husband, my 9 year old, and my 5 year old, just like I do every time I have the opportunity to engage my Bible with others. I think as a Christian culture, we're so intimated by God's word, and maybe the best place to start is opening it up with our kids. Cruz was dumb-founded by the fact that God made Eve from the rib of Adam, and wondered why God chose to make her that way instead of the way he had made the other animals. This sparked such a good conversation about the way God loves us and the ways he went out of His way to design companionship and family for us to lean on and enjoy. Mila proudly showed us pictures of a lamb and a rainbow she drew in her journal and exclaimed that God is powerful and loves pretty things! We are going to do our best to commit to ending each day in December reading through these stories and sharing our notes together, and I hope I end every night grateful for God's story and this growing family I get to dance in it with.
So that's my hope for this December. To dance well in the great story of God's creation and redemption, and to live alert to the present places He's gifted our family in this special season. Whether it's through a game of Disney Codenames, a night out in our favorite booth at Wilbos answering trivia questions, or a hot cocoa picnic in our favorite spot deep in the woods.
Happy Christmas month!
No comments:
Post a Comment