Devoted Blog

In The Middle of it All

December 19, 2018

Blog By Polly Boyette

After all the busy hustle and bustle of Christmas we can find ourselves feeling stressed or even a bit flat. We’re so busy getting ready for and doing Christmas that we forget to take the time to reflect on it all.

I remember one night during the Christmas rush Robbie and I decided to go see a play. We also invited our mom to go with us. We told her we would pick her up early so we could get good seats.

When we arrived at mom’s house it was pouring with rain. Neither of us wanted to get out of the car to knock on the door so I blew the car horn. I had called her ahead of time to let her know we were on the way. (This was before cell phones, so I couldn’t call her from the car.) Mom was very hard of hearing so I blew the horn several times, but there was no sign of her.

Robbie and I began to argue about which one of us should get out into the rain to knock on the front door. Robbie was concerned that her hair would get wet and turn into a big frizzy mess. She pointed out that my hair was thicker and so I should be the lucky one to get out into the rain.

I accepted the assignment and darted into the rain with only a newspaper over my head. I ran up the stairs to the house and banged on the front door, but no answer. I decided to go around to the back of the house to bang on the window to the den where Mom usually hung out watching TV. The steps were wet and as I was in a hurry I didn’t take the time to be careful. I suddenly slid all the way down the steps and onto the driveway. My shoes fell off and began to fill up with rainwater. I had twisted my foot so I wasn’t able to get up right away. There I lay, in the pouring, soaking rain.

Robbie kept peering out of the car window to see if I was going to get up. She really didn’t want to get her thin hair wet! As I stared up at the night sky, the raindrops falling on my face, I began to imagine I could die out on the driveway while my mom was warm and dry inside watching TV and my sister, Robbie nice and dry in the car.

Robbie could see I wasn’t going to move any time soon and she finally got out of the car. When she reached me I put up my hand for her to help me up, but she jumped right over me and ran up to bang on the front door.

“Are you OK?” she screamed at me over her shoulder.

“Can you at least hand me my shoes?” I asked helplessly.

Robbie grabbed my shoes and tossed them closer to me as she ran to the back of the house to bang on the den window. She looked in the window and could see Mom swaying back and forth while watching a country music show on TV. Robbie finally got her attention at the window and told her to open the front door.

After much accusing and arguing we headed to the car with me limping in pain with every step. In the car on the way to the play Mom asked why Robbie’s hair was so frizzy. Needless to say, it was a very stressful night. It wasn’t until Christmas was over that I looked back and remembered how much fun we had and how thankful I was that God sent his only Son Jesus out of pure love for us.

After Christmas that year I wrote this poem:

Looking, shopping, buying and spending.
Books, bikes, bracelets, and earrings
Sizes, colors, junior and miss
Cards, boxes, ribbons and lists
Trees, bulbs, garland and lights,
Wreaths, garland, reindeer in flight
Pictures, plays, parties with punch
Fruit cakes, candy, cookies with nuts
Wrapping, stamping, mailing with love,
Aunts, Uncles, children, and pups
Carols, friends, old and new
Greetings, meetings, gatherings too
Laughter, memories, tears and joy
Silent night, Holy night, one baby boy
God’s gift to the world, the best He could send,
Peace on earth and good will toward men
Robes, slippers, toys and dolls
The baby in the manger is in the middle of it all.

After all the Christmas music stops playing, the presents are unwrapped, family has gone home and the beautiful Christmas plays are finished, take some time to pause and take stock of why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. Take some time to slow down and reflect on the wonderful things the whole Christmas season brings and then put Him in the middle of the all.

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17 (NIV)

Now quick, do something with that frizzy hair because New Year’s Eve is coming!

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