Last night Kris took me to the Keith and Kristyn Getty concert in Greenville. The Gettys are probably my favorite singer/songerwriters and have written some of the best modern hymns of our time. Many of the songs they sang touched me, but the words of one song really caught my attention. This time of year it is very easy to get caught up with all the sales and commercials. Even though we have limited our purchases this year, I still find myself looking at ads saying, "Wow, that is such a good deal." or "Maybe they just need one more present." I've decided to print out the words to this song and make this my prayer. The chorus goes like this:
Oh teach me Lord to walk this road,
The road of simple living;
To be content with what I own
And generous in giving.
And when I cling to what I have
Please wrest it quickly from my grasp
I'd rather lose all the things of earth
To gain the things of heaven.
For some reason, this burro we met on the side of the road in Mexico seems like a good image for simple living!
Have you ever noticed a how many Christmas songs talk about home? I don't think I'd realized it until this year. "There's no place like home for the holidays", "I'll be home for Christmas"...it really is everywhere. One of my favorite parts of Christmas as an adult has always been decorating my home for the holidays. I would climb up in the attic, pull down the rubber maid containers and watch them explode all over the house! I don't know why, but the house always seemed more "homey" during the holiday season. And the smell...this was the time to break out the apple cinnamon and pine scented candles! You might even catch me making a batch of sugar cookies!
At "home" making Christmas cookies
As I write this tonight, I'm feeling a little homesick. However, this is a different kind of homesickness than I've experienced before because "home" has become a new concept for us. We've been living out of suitcases since the end of October when we left for Mexico and will continue to live out of those suitcases until January. We're trying to help our kids understand that "home" is more than a building and will probably be changing a lot for us over the next few years. Thankfully, during our trip to Mexico, both of our kids adapted well to our change of homes. One day when we came back to our one-room accommodation, Kieran said, "Ahhh....home sweet home!" Another day after some sightseeing, Elyse said, "I want to go home!" I wasn't sure what she was talking about so I asked her more about this "home" she wanted and she described the place we were staying in Mexico.
Making yummy memories with great friends!
Even though I am feeling homesick, I am also feeling very blessed that we have so many friends and family members who have opened up their homes to us as we travel around. Some even let us stay with a sick child (thanks McClures)! We really did have more offers for homes than we have nights to stay. I was thinking this week about the Christmas story and realized that even that precious baby we celebrate this time of year was born into a nomadic life. Mary and Joseph traveled many miles before he was born. "Away in a manger no crib for His bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head." Our Lord and Savior wasn't at home the night of his birth. I don't know how long they stayed in Bethlehem, but I doubt Mary loaded up on the donkey the day after giving birth...in a barn! We do know that eight days after his birth they traveled to Jerusalem where he was blessed by Simeon. Matthew 2:13-15 tells us that sometime probably before he was 2, the family had to flee to Egypt to escape Herod's jealousy. Sounds like a family who knows what it is like to live out of a suitcase.
So, tonight, I'll say an extra prayer of thanks for the warm bed, soft pillow, loving friends and a baby born in a manger. After all, home is where the heart is.
