Christmas Tree Lessons
The other day I heard about an innovative approach to taking care of your Christmas tree from a guy on the radio. They asked him what his secret was to making his tree last and he shared a piece of unconventional wisdom. He said he doesn’t water his tree at all after he puts it in the stand. He just pushes all the needles that fall behind the tree and claims that the tree still looks as good as the day he cut it down. When it is time to get rid of the tree, instead of dragging it through his living room and getting needles everywhere, the branches just snap off and he puts them in a bag.
This might be a metaphor for our lives at times. The Christmas season for followers of Jesus is supposed to be all about making much of Him. You might put up a couple nativity scenes around your house. If you have kids, you might have given them an advent calendar with the little chocolates (that taste like cardboard) that they open up every day as we get closer to celebrating the birth of Christ. But are you watering your inner life in the days leading up to Christmas?
All of the gift buying and wrapping, meal planning, and card sending can be overwhelming. While you may love the holiday movies and 24/7 Christmas music, they don’t necessarily lead you to spend time reflecting on the reason for the festivities.
If we don’t spend time tending to our hearts by spending time with Jesus and reflecting on his Word, we will become like that guy’s tree. We may look alive on the outside but are dead on the inside. The sneaky lie that our spiritual condition doesn’t affect other parts of our lives is too easily believed. And when a crisis comes, if we don’t have a strong connection, branches may just snap and things will fall apart.
My hope for all of us is that we not only celebrate Christmas on the outside but take time to tend to what’s most important; our hearts. Find a way to take a break from the craziness of the season to be with the one who brings peace and life.
P.S. If you have a real tree and haven’t watered it for a while, don’t waste your time, it’s dead.
This might be a metaphor for our lives at times. The Christmas season for followers of Jesus is supposed to be all about making much of Him. You might put up a couple nativity scenes around your house. If you have kids, you might have given them an advent calendar with the little chocolates (that taste like cardboard) that they open up every day as we get closer to celebrating the birth of Christ. But are you watering your inner life in the days leading up to Christmas?
All of the gift buying and wrapping, meal planning, and card sending can be overwhelming. While you may love the holiday movies and 24/7 Christmas music, they don’t necessarily lead you to spend time reflecting on the reason for the festivities.
If we don’t spend time tending to our hearts by spending time with Jesus and reflecting on his Word, we will become like that guy’s tree. We may look alive on the outside but are dead on the inside. The sneaky lie that our spiritual condition doesn’t affect other parts of our lives is too easily believed. And when a crisis comes, if we don’t have a strong connection, branches may just snap and things will fall apart.
My hope for all of us is that we not only celebrate Christmas on the outside but take time to tend to what’s most important; our hearts. Find a way to take a break from the craziness of the season to be with the one who brings peace and life.
P.S. If you have a real tree and haven’t watered it for a while, don’t waste your time, it’s dead.
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