It's that time of year...

Argh! Stress.
This time of year is hard, because everybody gets so tired and dysfunctional. And...there's less time for the things we need to do (other than study).
But the Christmas season is upon us. I was thinking the other day that Christmas is just a little snippet of Heaven...everyone is so excited! The joy that people have...can you imagine what Heaven will be like!? But the earthly stress and greed prevent us from fully experiencing this true joy that Heaven posseses; but Heaven will be something like Christmas...but no stress, no greed, no unhappiness, and plenty of time to do what we need to do: sit at the feet of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. So, yeah, right now, I'm excited about Christmas. It means more family time, no stress of the academic nature, and more time to do what I need to do: spend time with Jesus! But also, am I as excited about spending eternity with God as I am about having two weeks until I get a break of not even a month? Something to ponder. Something to ponder...
I was reading today: are we the walking dead? Well, I guess it depends on you, really. Paul writes to Timothy that, "But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives," 1 Timothy 5:6. You don't have to be a widow to be this way. I pray that I do live for pleasure, but for the pleasure of Christ alone, not my own. May everthing I do, and don't do, belong to Christ and may it honor Him. And when my heart isn't right, may He make His grace even more real and His crown of thorns even more vivid to me in my life. May the joy in my life, not just the "Christmas spirit," but THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT (i.e. the Holy Spirit) be evident to others in my life. He is what makes us alive, and He gives us the desire to live for His pleasure and not for ourselves.
Amen guys.
Amen.