The Official Callihan Family Blog
OK – The long awaited Christmas blog from Mommy – well at least I’ve been waiting to get a chance to do it. A blogging tip, btw, it is smart to write your comments in word, then cut and paste into the blog – that way you won’t lose your work by some quirk of the internet halfway through your writing. (That was free.) Anyway . . . these are the things that have been on my mind to share this Christmas season with all of you.
I have actually been thinking and acting on a theme this Christmas season – JOY – that is, the age old acronym Jesus, Others, and then You, or for me, the definition of Christmas JOY. The letters have to come in that order. So here is what I have been thinking . . .
J ------ Jesus --- I was lying awake for several hours in the night at Bob and Bek’s a few weeks ago and I did a little Bible study after the Lord began to speak to me on something. I have never been much for the Christmas list thing – I know some of you are into it, and that’s fine, but I like to buy gifts a little more spontaneously, and I like to get them spontaneously too. Anyway, you know how thoughts get jumbled together when you are trying to get back to sleep, well, I was thinking about some teachers at school that I am wishing I could reach for the Lord, and that led to me thinking that I wish I had the gift of Evangelism (which I don’t) which led me to wondering whether one could ask God for certain gifts, which led me to doing a Bible study on the verses that talk about earnestly desiring the greater gifts – so apparently you can. So, at the top of my Christmas list is something I am asking God for – the gift of evangelism – so that I can somehow reach some of those within my reach. And I think that would be the top of Jesus’ list too, the ones He loves and who don’t get it.
O ----- Others --- After Jesus, and before me, myself, and I comes others. This is where I have a word for all of us this Christmas. Having the opportunity to be together this year is a rare and great opportunity. But the only way it ever works is if EVERYONE is ALWAYS thinking about OTHERS and NOONE is EVER thinking about THEMSELVES. I know – pie in the sky – right? Well, the closer we come to that the happier everyone will find themselves. Because even though you can get your own way faster by yourself, when five other people are more worried about it than you are – how much sweeter is that? That is the essence of heaven. You guys all know that when you were growing up and got in an arguing, selfish, snitty, routine I used to tell you that was the essence of hell. I believe it is. So keep it simple, keep it unselfish. Love is gentle, love is kind, love is not rude, love suffers long, is not envious, doesn’t boast, love never fails. A rough paraphrase of I Cor 13.
Finally . . . Y ------ You --- You are in there too, you know. So do take care of yourself. Do get sleep, do take allergy meds if you need them ;-), do take time out for yourself, do enjoy yourself. I can tell you from experience both ways – when I’ve done it right, and when I’ve done it wrong – that if you have Jesus and Others in place the Y always seems to show up and you will end up with true Christmas Joy!
With lots of love,
Mom C
I have actually been thinking and acting on a theme this Christmas season – JOY – that is, the age old acronym Jesus, Others, and then You, or for me, the definition of Christmas JOY. The letters have to come in that order. So here is what I have been thinking . . .
J ------ Jesus --- I was lying awake for several hours in the night at Bob and Bek’s a few weeks ago and I did a little Bible study after the Lord began to speak to me on something. I have never been much for the Christmas list thing – I know some of you are into it, and that’s fine, but I like to buy gifts a little more spontaneously, and I like to get them spontaneously too. Anyway, you know how thoughts get jumbled together when you are trying to get back to sleep, well, I was thinking about some teachers at school that I am wishing I could reach for the Lord, and that led to me thinking that I wish I had the gift of Evangelism (which I don’t) which led me to wondering whether one could ask God for certain gifts, which led me to doing a Bible study on the verses that talk about earnestly desiring the greater gifts – so apparently you can. So, at the top of my Christmas list is something I am asking God for – the gift of evangelism – so that I can somehow reach some of those within my reach. And I think that would be the top of Jesus’ list too, the ones He loves and who don’t get it.
O ----- Others --- After Jesus, and before me, myself, and I comes others. This is where I have a word for all of us this Christmas. Having the opportunity to be together this year is a rare and great opportunity. But the only way it ever works is if EVERYONE is ALWAYS thinking about OTHERS and NOONE is EVER thinking about THEMSELVES. I know – pie in the sky – right? Well, the closer we come to that the happier everyone will find themselves. Because even though you can get your own way faster by yourself, when five other people are more worried about it than you are – how much sweeter is that? That is the essence of heaven. You guys all know that when you were growing up and got in an arguing, selfish, snitty, routine I used to tell you that was the essence of hell. I believe it is. So keep it simple, keep it unselfish. Love is gentle, love is kind, love is not rude, love suffers long, is not envious, doesn’t boast, love never fails. A rough paraphrase of I Cor 13.
Finally . . . Y ------ You --- You are in there too, you know. So do take care of yourself. Do get sleep, do take allergy meds if you need them ;-), do take time out for yourself, do enjoy yourself. I can tell you from experience both ways – when I’ve done it right, and when I’ve done it wrong – that if you have Jesus and Others in place the Y always seems to show up and you will end up with true Christmas Joy!
With lots of love,
Mom C
posted by Laurie at 9:50 PM
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