5 minute read
By Bethany Rees

Christmas shopping season is among us and I can’t help but wonder if people are stressed at the thought of buying presents. 

Beyond the obvious pain we can feel in our lightened wallets, there is the stress of finding the perfect present for those you love. 

This bloated spending and stress is caused by consumerism (which I blog about here). 

But once we remove the consumerism from the whole Christmas season what you are left with is not presents, but PRESENCE.

Being present with those you love and having the time to worship, talk, play, sing, or do whatever it is your family enjoys doing. 

The joy from presents only lasts a few minutes or days, but the joy from being in the presence of those you love builds joy that lasts a lifetime. 

One of my funniest memories of my dad wasn’t a present he’d given…nope.

It was his presence in a game we played. 

I don’t remember the year but it was somewhere around the turn of the century (2000…but saying it that way makes us all feel old doesn’t it? 🤣)

My Aunt Rhonda and Uncle Mo brought some paint guns to Arkansas and we played “war” for hours in the woods. Kids and adults alike. 

My strongest memory of that paintball war was my dad’s presence. 

You see my father is a big burly outdoors man…think Grizzly Adams.

But when we were playing war, he wasn’t playing as Grizzly Adams. 

The man came out from behind the trees like Rambo comes out of any place in all of the Rambo movies...sneakily. 

And he was kicking butt and taking names...

He was present and he wiping us all out. 

Even though he looked like a big easy target, he was a deadshot and we didn’t stand a chance.

It was awesome! 

I will forever remember my dad’s presence that Christmas because he played with us. He laughed with us. And because we’re good ol’ country folks…he whipped our tails even though we were younger and faster. 

So as you go shopping for this Christmas season, don’t stress over what presents you’ll buy. 

Instead be intentional about how you will make your presence known over making your “presents” known. 

How will you unplug from:

•  your phone
• your show
• your work
• your stress? 

Don’t stress over the presents but do be intentional about your presence. 

Merry Christmas from the family y’all! 

(FYI: This week’s theme song is hilarious represents oh so many families in the South) 

Know Better. Do Better. Live Better. Have Presence Over Presents!

Rocks before Sand!

Scripture: 

“As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.  Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.  But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!  There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

~ Luke 10:38-42

Theme Song: 

Robert Earl Keene's Merry Christmas from the Family

References Used:

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.