It's a Marshmallow World in the Winter

A dear friend of mine decided to start blogging as a means of recording life and being intentional about enjoying the days and seasons she is currently in. Part of me was inspired. The larger part of me was disgusted. "Ugh! She does such a good job of living!" And the guilt rolled in as I told myself I needed to learn to do the same.

If I'm being honest with myself, these last months have mostly been a busy blur of simply surviving. Instead of seizing life, I've recently realized that I generally live in the suburbs of Pastville - a town populated by guilt and regret or Futuretown - a place where scheming and planning call home. And I'm pretty sure that isn't how I've been created to live.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10

Fireflies are perhaps one of the most magical of all of God's creation. I never saw them growing up in the west and I will never forget the first time I experienced their wonder as a colleged-aged woman. Suddenly I was transported into the fairytales of childhood, merriment and awe. It was magical. And even still, every summer when they appear, I am transformed into a giddy, wondering child who believes her Father and His goodness with the unwavering faith of a child.

And as the mother of an (ALMOST!) one year old, laundry is an abounding reality of my life. I'm pretty sure I have been doused in vomit at least once or twice a week for the past year. In fact, this morning by 6am, my bed, myself and my daughter were all showered in it. Laundry is copious. But I can assure you that as I stripped the bed in the wee hours of the morning, I was not celebrating...

But while fireflies may be enchanting and laundry may not be, the truth is that I want to learn how to celebrate and live life abundantly whether it's in the magical or the mundane. 

It is the season of advent - a time for preparation, celebration, and hope. It is a time of joyfulness and wonder. A time to suspend our grown-up reasoning and mature worrying and renew our innocent hope in a Savior who put on flesh to meet us in our humanity. Christmastime, like fireflies, hold the magical ability to transport us back to that place of childlike faith, joyful abandon and fun. What better time of year to start learning to live and to enjoy the present? After all, it is a marshmallow world in the winter...