Day 13 of Having a "Mary" Christmas in a Martha World
Psalm 118:24; Ephesians 5:14; 1 Peter 1:13-14; Matthew 26:40-41
This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:24
So who’s on social media? Got a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram? If you don’t, you’re not missing out.
The irony of social media is it’s supposed to connect us to people, right? Yet, I see it all the time: a couple of friends at a coffeeshop, for example, or out to dinner — and they’re all on their devices updating their profiles!
Checking their emails. Texting. Taking pictures of their foods. Not talking to each other. Not even making eye contact.
Just pure silence at their table.
Something SO disturbingly wrong with that scenario to me. Surely, you’ve seen it before! Surely, you’ve been guilty of doing the same thing. (I know I have!)
To me, it’s like an out-of-body experience. Our bodies are physically there, but our minds, our SOULS — our very ESSENCE — are floating around in social media.
Why do we do this? Why do we subject ourselves to this slavery to technology?
We’re not really connecting with our loved ones because we’re not fully engaged. We allow ourselves to be distracted, so really, we miss out. Because the ONLY moment we have is the present.
If we truly wanted to live a meaningful, intentional life that honors God we have to actually LIVE. Be present. Exist. Not floating around in cyberspace.
For THIS is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!
As we prepare our homes for the birth of our King — decorating every inch, playing Christmas carols — let’s prepare ourselves spiritually and emotionally by making every effort to really engage!
Take a couple of hours every day to turn off all devices. Every.single.one. (I PROMISE you’re not gonna miss out on anything.)
Immerse yourself with your family + friends and really savor your meals.
Breathe in the sweet scent of your baby’s hair. Memorize the curves on your husband’s face.
Because, my God, how incredibly blessed are we to have these things and people in our lives!
(Quick story to share with you as an example: I had just listened to a lecture and was trying to say bye and thank the instructor. He was busy talking to someone else, and I didn’t want to interrupt, so I just gave him a light pat on the back to let him know I was leaving. He didn’t even look up or budge or break eye contact with the person he was talking to. You may think that’s being rude since he didn’t acknowledge me, but really he was being 100% respectful and attentive to the other person, giving them his FULL existence. He was completely present and engaged in the moment. I just thought that that says a lot about him as a person.)
So these things, these moments that we share with our loved ones — no matter how much we try to capture with our iPhones — are fleeting.
Two of my favorite verses in the Bible about motherhood is Luke 2:19 "But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart,” and again in Luke 2:51, “And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart."
Mary didn’t have Instagram or Snapchat or Twitter to record her Son’s wonderful moments. But that didn’t stop her from making herself fully present and engaged.
Instead, she treasured them, soaked them all in, and reflected on them quietly within herself.
Whether you’re a quiet person like Mary or you like to rejoice loudly like me, it’s my deep, sincere hope that this Advent season brings you and your family many beautiful, intimate moments together that you’ll treasure for years and years to come.
Peace be with you, my gorgeous faithful sister.
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