Last night, my husband and I had a minor argument. We were playing Scrabble, and I beat him two rounds in a row. “I’m suprised you beat me,” he said after we were finished. “Last time we played, I beat you by a pretty big margin.”
“When have we ever played Scrabble?” I asked. “I don’t remember that at all.”
His mood immediately soured. “You don’t remember? I planned a special date for you. You were complaining that we always did the same stuff on dates, so I asked a girl at work to give me some fun date ideas. She suggested playing Scrabble and making popcorn, so I brought it over. I thought it was really special. I can’t believe you don’t remember!”
I tried to appease him, but the fact remained. He was hurt that I didn’t remember his special effort to please me.
I am notorious for my poor memory. I keep a daily planner and have done so for years so that I can have a physical record to remind me of things I’ve done and things I have to do. There have been times when friends have asked me “How have you been lately?” and I have opened up my planner, scanned the last several weeks, and reminded myself of what I’ve done and how I’ve felt. I have the type of personality that focuses on the present and the future and often glosses over or forgets entirely past events.
This is why I love having past journal entries and written documents to look over. It’s important to remind myself of past events, so they don’t escape my mind altogether in a few weeks, months, or years.
While it’s important for me to remind myself of the past so I can honor my husband and other loved ones, it’s also important to remember the past so I build my faith in what God can do in my present and future.
Psalm 77 says:
I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands
and my soul refused to be comforted.
I remembered you, O God, and I groaned;
I mused, and my spirit grew faint.
Selah
You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.
I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;
I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart mused and my spirit inquired:
“Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?
Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”
Selah
Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will meditate on all your works
and consider all your mighty deeds.
Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
Selah
The waters saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
The clouds poured down water,
the skies resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
The psalmist writes about using his memories of the Lord’s past deeds to encourage himself that God will come through in his present difficult circumstances. It’s important to keep a record of the past so that we can look back on all the Lord has done and take heart that God has not abandoned us, even when we feel like He has.
Take a moment to look over these question prompts and record the answers on your computer or in a journal. If you feel comfortable, share some or all of the answers in a comment so you can encourage others.
How did God reveal His hand and presence in 2009?
What was your happiest moment?
What was your most defeated moment?
What do you wish you had done more of?
What do you wish you had done less of?
What was the greatest book you read?
What was the most meaningful film you watched?
What song reminds you of 2009?
Who was the most influential person you met?
What did you do in 2009 that you had never done before?
At a church conference last month, I heard a helpful analogy about resting and soaking in God’s presence. The conference speaker said that we are like sponges. We rush around, doing things (good things, usually) and squeezing out the love, joy, and energy that we have. Eventually we realize that we’re drying up. In order to stay full, we have to do more than simply rush under the stream of God’s presence for a moment or two every now and then. Short dips under His water are enough to keep us going, but they’re not enough to soak our sponges to capacity. As we make it a priority to be still before Him and actively receive His love and attention (rather than knowing in the back of our minds that He loves us, but never slowing down long enough to feel the weight and effects of that knowledge) we find ourselves filled again so that our ministry and our lives are much more effective and enjoyable.
As this year comes to a close, with the hustle and bustle of Christmas finally past, do you feel like a dried up sponge? Have you given more than you’ve received from the Lord? If you have, it’s not because He wants that for you. Yes, we are told in James that faith without works is dead. And God does want you to participate in His Kingdom work. But without His presence, your work is in vain because it springs from your own smelly, dried-up sponge.
We have to cultivate a balance of restoration time in God’s presence and ministry time to our world. It’s easier to focus all of our energy and attention on one or the other – to be a full-time Mary or a full-time Martha. But I believe that there are times when it is necessary to be a Mary, and there are times when it is necessary to be a Martha. As another conference speaker mentioned last month at our meeting, thank God for Marthas. Marthas get things done. There are times when things just need to get done (perhaps when the entire family is due to show up at your house in two hours, and the turkey isn’t in the oven yet). But if we never make it a priority to stop and become a Mary – to linger at the feet of Jesus – we are missing out on so much that God has for us.
As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what He taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”
But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)
Note that Jesus didn’t say anything like, “Martha, you should learn from Mary and get over here instead of thinking about a silly thing like food. Who cares about dinner? Let’s just talk about God’s love all night!”
What He did say was that details, like dinner, were not worth being worried and upset over. Do them, of course, but don’t be concerned about anything other than hearing what Jesus is saying to you. When you discover that place at His feet and make it a priority to visit it often, the Lord will never ask you to put it aside in favor of doing things for Him. Instead, the lessons you learn at His feet will give you strength to complete the tasks at hand.
As we look toward a new year, let’s make it a priority to spend some time being Marys this year. Let’s allow Jesus to pour His love into us, so that our sponges become full and truly useful.
Lord, may we long for you as the night watchmen long for the morning. May we earnestly seek Your physical return, even as we daily seek Your nearness in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Thank You for giving us the privilege of sitting at Your feet and learning from what You have to say to us. May we learn to balance our time spent soaking in Your presence with our time spent serving You. May we have discernment to know when to be Marthas and when to be Marys in the year ahead. Amen.
Here are some interesting world Christmas traditions and facts, courtesy of Wikipedia:
South Korea is the only East Asian country to recognize Christmas as a national holiday.
A unique feature of Christmas in Japan is the Japanese type of Christmas cake, often a white whipped cream cake with strawberries.
Christmas tree in downtown Beirut, Lebanon
InLebanon, churches are open all night for praying and people go to visit friends and families, often to villages in the mountains.
In thePhilippines, Christmas Eve (“Bisperas ng Pasko”/Spanish: Vísperas de la Navidad) on December 24 is celebrated with the Midnight Mass, and immediately after, the much-anticipated Noche Buena – the traditional Christmas Eve feast. Family members dine together around 12 midnight on traditional Noche Buena fare, which includes: queso de bola (Spanish: “ball of cheese”; this is actually edam cheese), “Tsokolate” (a hot chocolate drink) and jamón (Christmas ham).
In many places in Mexico, children receive gifts not on Christmas but on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, when, according to tradition, the Three Wise Men bring gifts not only to baby Jesus but also to children who have placed written requests in their shoes.
In Columbia, the unofficial start of Christmas festivities takes place on December 7, Día de las Velitas, or “Day of the Candles.” At night, the streets, sidewalks, balconies, porches, and driveways are decorated with candles and paper lanterns, which illuminate cities and towns in a yellow glow to honor the Immaculate Conception on the following day, December 8. Activities such as musical events and firework displays are planned by cities and held during this time.
In Czech Republic and Slovakia, people are taught to fast on Christmas Eve until a ceremonial dinner is served, in order to be able to see a “golden pig”. Carp is a popular dish for the dinner. The gifts are displayed under the Christmas tree , and people open them after their Christmas dinner.
In Germany, Saint Nicholas puts goodies in children’s shoes on Saint Nicholas’ Day, the 6th of December. Sometimes St. Nicholas visits children in kindergartens, schools or at public events. They have to recite a short poem or sing a song in order to get sweets or a small gift. “Knecht Ruprecht” (the servant Ruprecht – dressed in dark clothes with devil-like traits, usually noted as a long, bright red tongue and with a stick or a small whip in the hand) sometimes accompanies St. Nicholas. His duty is to punish those children who haven’t behaved during the year. Usually he doesn’t have much to do. He merely stands near St. Nicholas as a warning to be good and polite.
In Hungary, there is a popular folk custom during December and especially on Christmas Eve, in which children or adults present the birth of Jesus. The custom is called ‘playing Bethlehem’ (Hungarian: Betlehemezés), and it is an acting performance, in which the actors are wearing costumes and telling stories about the three kings, the shepherds, Mary, Joseph and of course the birth of the Holy Child. A Christmas crib and a church are used as the scene. The actors go from house to house, and they receive gifts for their performance.
In Russia, Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January (which corresponds to December 25 in the Julian Calendar).
In Denmark, everyone looks forward to dessert on Christmas Eve, when the rice pudding is served with a single almond hidden in it. Whoever finds the almond will have good luck for the coming year, and the lucky finder is entitled to a small gift.
In Nigeria, people decorate homes (compounds) and churches with woven and unwoven palm fronds, Christmas trees and Christmas lights. There are festive jubilations on the streets, fireworks, traditional masquerades on stilts parading about and children milling about displaying their best clothes or Christmas presents.
Does your family incorporate any unique traditions into your Christmas celebration?
