It’s December 18th as I write this. With only a week until Christmas, most of us are busy wrapping gifts, finishing up work that must be done by the end of the year, packing to visit extended families, baking goodies, or preparing to welcome family and friends to our own Christmas celebrations.
Busyness consumes us not only in December but all year round. Work in any form is a persistent task master.
So what can we do in the midst of busyness to keep it from consuming us? We can take minutes to breathe in the presence of God and give him worship.
To do that we don’t need a church, a worship service, or a designated prayer time—but we do need those things for our spiritual health.
Breathing in God’s presence and worshipping him can happen anywhere and any time. It’s not limited to certain places, specific rituals of prayer, or any length of time.
What does that look like for me in the midst of December busyness?
As I notice my stress level go up, my busyness factor increasing, or my focus on tasks rather than people, I sit down for a couple of minutes. I breathe deeply, asking God to give me a sense of his Spirit’s presence. (After all the word for spirit is the same word as breath.)
I reflect on God’s character or his mighty work. Because it is Advent, I consider in amazement Jesus’s incarnation as a baby in a virgin’s womb to rescue you and me. Other times of year I think of God’s power in creation, stories of Jesus’s healing and teaching, or Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection. The wonder of those stories catches me up beyond my tasks, my busyness, and my worries to catch sight of a great, wondrous, and loving God.
Are you busy today? Take a few minutes to breathe.
