12.18.08

Santa’s Line …

Posted in Believe, Christmas, Self Reflection at 11:14 pm by Sandi Rauwolf

We headed to Indy this past weekend for a family weekend to celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday. It’s a great tradition and one we look forward to every year! We go to the zoo – bundled up with little ones in tow as we walk down the beautifully lit paths lined with Christmas lights sparkling from the bushes and trees. Little red noses and rosy cheeks peek out through the hats and scarves. The kids think it’s cool they can see their breath when they talk! They can’t contain their excitement because they know this cold walk on a path lined with beautiful lights was leading us to Santa (which happens to be in a warm, cozy house! :) The kids didn’t seem to notice the cold but the adults were freezing – brrrr!!! The adults thought about getting warm and the kids about Santa but all focused on one destination and that was Santa’s house! There were multiple paths seamlessly interconnected as if a skilled artist used his black paint-filled brush to effortlessly glide along the canvas drawing each to its destination. Soon we approached Santa’s house and hurriedly crammed inside the door only to stand in an endless line to see Santa.

Kids were doing their best to behave because although they have always been told that Santa is watching them, this time they KNEW he really was! Despite their best efforts, something would lure them away – maybe the reindeer station where they could see a real reindeer or maybe Mrs. Claus’s cookies that they could help decorate. But, their parents were there to gather them back and keep them focused on why they were there and that was to see Santa! You could see in their faces how hard they were trying to be good!!! The younger they were, the more they would wander or be easily persuaded off path. Then their mom or dad would bring them back once again just to have their brother or sister wander off in another direction. Then finally the little tots were back in line and looking up to the older kids – great idea! Well, it WAS until the older kids wandered off path and all of the little tots followed – first one, then another and then yet another. But the parents were there again gathering them all up and getting them back in line.

The little ones, so sweet, innocent and naïve were more easily pulled off path. Not all of them wandered, some young tikes were standing in line very determined to focus on Santa – nothing would pull them away!! Or would it? Well nothing until an older kid stepped out of line making them think it was ok to do the same. Or when another kid grabbed their hand to pull them towards something that seemed better than standing in a “boring” line to a Santa they weren’t even sure was there!! After all, they couldn’t see him thru all of the towering older kids and crowds of people – so is he real?

Standing there in line Chris and I were helping keep all of the little ones from wandering. I felt blessed with an uncanny depiction of what God must see when He looks down from heaven at US. He has children of all ages – some infants just learning to walk, some adolescents fairly strong in their walk but some times pulled away and others mature focused with their eyes on Him.

We are each at different stages of our spiritual walk with God. We’ve all wandered off path at one point in our lives and actually we may have even pulled others off of their paths at times. Where are we today in our walk with God? I mean we know God is always with us even if we can’t see Him past the crowds … but are we as faithful to Him in our hearts as we say we are or when tempted do we find that we make everything but Him our number one priority and are easily pulled out of line? So I guess I am asking:

Are we the kid who easily wanders out of line?

“They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet.” Jeremiah 14:10

Or …

Are we the kid in line with his/her eyes focused on God?

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7

We never know how many little tikes might be looking our direction to see what we are going to do or how we will react in a situation (especially when we are tested) … so how do you act in line?

May God bless you!!

Love,
Sandi

12.02.08

Cleaning out the junk …

Posted in Blessings, Personal Perspective, Thankfulness at 9:47 pm by Sandi Rauwolf

This time of year always encourages us to look within ourselves, to dig a little deeper, to sift thru all of the clutter in our lives in order to discover the buried treasures of thankfulness. No matter what we may be facing in our lives, there ARE treasures of thankfulness. We just need to take the time to unclutter our lives and look for them instead of shoving them into a drawer with all of the other junk. Let me explain what I mean.

Most of us have the infamous “junk drawer” in our homes. You know the drawer – the drawer that starts out with a few things and before we know it, everything that we don’t have time to deal with ends up in there. Well, if we aren’t careful, our lives can end up looking like that junk drawer. It is our natural tendency to run busily thru life shoving things to the side with the intention of dealing with them “some day”. But the reality is that despite our best intentions, we don’t! And the busier we become, the MORE stuff we shove aside. There is real danger in this for a few reasons:

1. MISPLACED – It becomes a habit so without even thinking about it, we start shoving things into the drawer that should NOT end up in a “junk” drawer!
2. ISOLATED – It goes undisturbed, so we forget about all of the things in that drawer and that includes the good things!
3. LOST – We don’t start digging thru the junk until we have a really good reason to do so and most often it is because we’re trying to find something.

Where does that leave us? In a flustered state, that’s where! But there is a special gift in that frenzy because when we face something in life causing us to feel a little frantic or desperate that is when we begin searching for something bigger. We pray “Please God help me. I PROMISE I will clean out this junk and do better next time!” Wow, if God only had a penny for every promise each of us has made to him – there would be an end to world hunger!

That frenzy state pushes us to do some soul searching, to step back from the busyness and evaluate what is really important in our lives. I mean where exactly are our priorities? Do we cherish the treasures that God has given us? Do we sprint thru life shoving everything to the side not truly appreciating what we do have? Do we have a hard time seeing past all of the junk in our lives preventing us from seeing all of the good?

Today I understand what a gift that state of frenzy is to each of us and exactly how much those tough times taught me.

It taught me that the most important gift you could give someone is not anything you can buy.
It taught me to appreciate the things in my life no matter how small or insignificant they may seem to others.
It taught me to be thankful for everything – even the challenges.
It taught me that good health is a gift.
It taught me not to take anything for granted especially LIFE.
It taught me how to love with my whole heart, even when it hurts.
It taught me to cherish the time with those I care about the most.
It taught me that there is more in this world than just me and my family and I need to be doing more. Watch this Advent Conspiracy and you’ll know what I mean. It really makes you think!
It taught me that when the world falls apart, there is only one thing I can cling to and that is our awesome God. He is THE answer to all of life’s problems.

Life truly is a precious gift so we need to embrace every second and be thankful for all that we DO have in our lives and quit focusing on what we do NOT have. It is NOT easy especially when we are surrounded with adversity or pain. When we seek God and trust His plan He will not forsake us. “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

Tears fill my eyes and my heart overflows with thankfulness for all of the treasures He has given me. Treasures I never again want to shove into a drawer or easily lose track of because of the busyness in life. How about you – is it time for you to clean out your junk drawer?

God bless you!!!

Love,
Sandi