Just Breathe

When the angel had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to 

one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which 

the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the 

baby, who was lying in the manger. Luke 2:15-17 (emphasis mine)

A little over a week ago, I saw this meme posted on Facebook from Emily Ley.

While I smiled when I read it, I also realized the truth that was in it. Because that's exactly how I live my life. I move at warp speed from one thing to the next trying to get as much done in as short a time as possible so that I can rest when I am done. BUT, I am never done. Ever. Because when you're brain is moving ninety miles an hour, something else always comes up, shows up, or reappears.

Granted the shepherds that left to go see what the angel of the Lord had told them about the Messiah being born lived a very different life than you and me. But if we are honest with ourselves and one another, how quickly would we hurry off to see what we'd just been told?

Knowing myself as well as I do, I would:

~make sure the dirty dishes were taken care of

~make sure everything was unplugged that needed to be unplugged

~double check my purse to make sure I had house keys, car keys, my phone, and my wallet

~email my husband to let him know where I was going and how long I'd be gone

~check facebook one last time to make sure I didn't get a message from someone who needed a reply

~verify how close it is to school pickup time to know if I should take my book, ruler (b/c girlfriend does not believe in messy underlining) and a pen

~check the status of my library requests to see if I need to stop there when I am done

~make a cup of coffee or get my water bottle for the trip

And while it might be tempting to believe that if the angel of the Lord specifically spoke to me about something I needed to see that I wouldn't go through this list, these are the more likely scenarios:

A: I would go and be anxious the entire time about what was left undone

B: I would do a few things then go and still feel anxious because I delayed going

C: I would fight my flesh not to do anything and take just as long to get going

Laugh if you must because of the absurdity of it all. But that doesn't make any of it less true. And please, don't give me more credit than I truly deserve to think that in the moment I would respond exactly the way I should. Because I wouldn't. We don't suddenly become super spiritual in the moment and automatically do the right thing without a lot of practice an intentionality.

Yesterday I read a post in the swHw App about the reality of shepherds. Lowest of the low, not trusted, and often accused of thievary. And while I don't think anyone would assign those specific classifications to you or me, the reality is they were probably so desperate for the reality of the Savior to come knowing He was coming for people like them, they were more than willing to drop everything and run. And if anything, if we are running around like our hair is on fire, the mention of the Savior should put us in hyperdrive at warp speed to get to Him, too.

We can't make the next four days go faster than they will. But we can intentionally slow down, see what's in front of us, and be present in every moment that God may be speaking to us or through us. And let's realize that whenever we need to see that baby wrapped in clothes, lying in a manger, all we have to do is open our Bible and realize He is always there waiting with open arms to remind us that He came once and He'll be coming back again soon. 

Bonus Track

Breathe

Jonny Diaz

Full Disclosure:

Yesterday morning, I got up at my normal 'insane' time. I read my Bible, did my workout, took a shower, got the kids breakfast, threw in two loads of laundry, ran to Target, Trader Joes, got air in my tires, and made it home by 9:10 AM to fold the clothes, put the groceries away and get to my neighbors by 9:20 AM. I can write about this, because it's how I live. And frankly, it's exhausting and something needs to give because my hair is getting singed and I'm starting to smell like smoke. As my word for 2017 has been GRACE, my word for 2018 is BREATHE. Because clearly, it's something I need to learn how to do.