Whew! The bustle of Christmas 2018 is fading and we begin to breathe again. Here at Little Halley, Henry and I are missing family, but determined to enjoy a restful afternoon and quiet New Year's Eve. It is just past 3:00 pm, nearly twilight, and a pale peach sunset floats above the steely blue sea.
I haven't had the heart to dismantle this year's decorations. The tree is still soft and fresh, needles clinging to the ornamented branches. Tea-light candles scattered around the house lend a little extra light on these short days. My heart drinks in every last drop of the season...
Sunlit cheer at Little Halley Have you ever wondered why we love to decorate? Borrowing inspiration from Pinterest, we trim trees and bedeck our homes with signs of the seasons. We plant flowers and landscape our yards. We paint our faces and even embellish our finger and toenails! Where does this pervasive impulse come from???
- Ecclesiastes 3:11 declares that God "has made everything beautiful in its time." Even the bare, windswept branches of these wild, thorny roses are lovely, silhouetted against the glory of sunrise! Our appreciation of beauty and penchant for making things pretty is proof that we are "image-bearers." We bear a close resemblance to our Creator!
I rediscovered a bit of decorating advice recently, when I re-read Paul's letter to Titus. Paul had left Titus in Crete to help build a solid foundation for the fledgling church there. This brief letter was written around 65 AD and underlines the vital importance of teaching sound doctrine. Here are a few of his instructions:
Teach them to be:
SOBER MINDED...
DIGNIFIED...
SELF CONTROLLED...
SOUND IN FAITH, LOVE AND STEADFASTNESS...
REVERENT IN BEHAVIOR...
NOT SLANDERERS...
NOT SLAVES TO MUCH WINE...
PURE...
"...so that in everything
they may ADORN
the doctrine of God our Savior."
(Titus 2:10)
Did you catch that? Our mandate, as true followers of Jesus is to ADORN the truth of the Gospel by the way we live. In essence, we are perpetual human Christmas trees!
Check out the Greek for 'adorn':
'kosmeo' - to put in proper order, adorn, garnish, trim
(This is the root of our English word, 'cosmetics'!)
I don't know about you, but I often failed to make the Truth beautiful this past year. Adversity and uncertainty exhausted me, and I found myself grumbling in doubt and fear, rather than expressing confident faith. The ornamental fruit hanging on my tree was frequently dull, shriveled...sometimes bitter and lifeless. I am embarrassed, even ashamed. I know my witness suffered! Where did I go wrong? In the midst of it all, I forgot to hold my leafless, thorny branches up to the glory of the Lord. I simply lost all perspective!
So this year, my 'resolution' is to TRUST Him, regardless of circumstances...to practice daily thanksgiving and to remember that:
"...this light and momentary affliction
is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory
beyond all comparison."
(2 Corinthians 4:17)
OH COME, LET US ADORN HIM!
Will you join me?
We decorate because we are created in the image of the Master Decorator! We simply can't help ourselves. Without constant attention however, our carefully landscaped gardens grow wild. Paint fades and chips. Christmas trees wither. Seasons change. Our sweetest and most beautiful efforts provide only fleeting joy and satisfaction.
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