Today begins the third week in the Spirit of Christmas series. I am delighted to host Shelly Miller as my guest. I first connected with Shelly through her blog. Her personal stories often so closely mirror my own. I love how Shelly bares her heart to her readers. She’s done no less here. Be comforted as you read.
When your kids can’t seem to get out of bed and you’re running late, the milk has soured and you forgot to run the dishwasher. The sink and counter are loaded with dirty dishes you were too tired to wash last night.
When you can’t find a place to sit down because the folded clothes from the laundry stack in piles over every surface, and all you want to do is take a minute, sit down and think.
When the photos you had professionally taken on the beach for a Christmas card are still in your inbox and you know in your heart it’s not going to happen . . . doing a Christmas card that is.
When Christmas shopping with your husband means stopping in the middle of a crowded sidewalk, in the aisle of a store, and between conversation over bowls of soup for phone calls and texts from work. When he suddenly says to you, while standing with your arms loaded in line to make a purchase, we have to go now, I have hit a wall and I can’t do this anymore.
When going to church feels like too much work and God speaks to you through a movie made fifty years ago instead.
When being hungry sounds better than trying to decide what to fix for dinner.
The thought of wrapping the bags of presents you bought, putting them in cardboard boxes and standing in line for an hour at the post office brings a lump to your throat.
When the small talk with the cashier at Trader Joes informs you about the large number of homeless people sleeping in hotel rooms, you consider returning all the items you just purchased to help someone out.
When all these things happen during the same week and picturing yourself screaming in the middle of a field sounds amazing, it’s in that moment of desperation that you realize what your heart is longing to experience.
Peace. Not a place or circumstance, but the person.
And when you are still, crammed between a stack of towels and a pile of socks on your couch with your eyes closed, you notice the faint chirp of birds, the hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen, the whir of cars speeding past; that your breathing has a rhythm to it in the quietness.
You thank God that he sent Peace to take care of what overwhelms you. The reason why you celebrate Christ’s birth bubbles to the surface and your brokenness becomes a place of tearful beauty.
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners . . . so now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. ~Romans 5:6, 11
Have you taken a few moments of silent listening lately, to hear the one who knows you best?
Shelly Miller is a writer, photographer, clergy wife, mother of two teens, and a leadership coach. She enjoys writing stories that make people think differently about life, helping women discover calling and the luxury of being inspired by foreign culture. Find out more about why she thinks rest is the secret ingredient in the recipe for fulfillment through the Sabbath Society. Connect on Facebook, Twitter, and Redemptions Beauty where she blogs several times a week.
