Fallen Christmas Trees
December 24, 2015
Matthew 11:28 – Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Dorothy called last week. Her phone call was preceded by a text message with a photo of her living room in total disarray with diapers and clothes and empty baby bottles, and off to the right of the photo you could see two screaming babies. In the center of the picture was the Christmas tree. All the lights on the tree, but instead of being in the vertical position, it is on the floor. The photo came only seconds before pitiful-sounding Dorothy called sobbing, “My babies are crying, I am crying, and my tree fell down.” I don’t know if any of you remember, maybe you are experiencing this right now or will soon, but daily living is sometimes too much. We pile one more thing on top of daily living, and then one more thing. And soon our tree falls over, and we do, too. Work demands so much- children, marriage, bills, and we get tired and stressed out. There is never any time left over for you to take care of your needs. And in December we add to the daily stresses of everyday life the expense and time to takes to get ready for Christmas. Before we know it our tree falls over, and we find ourselves sobbing. We talk about trials and tribulations and how Christ overcame disease and sin and death, but we don’t’ talk much about how to get through the daily, everyday, over and over of everyday living. Jesus’ solution to the person fighting cancer is the same solution He gives to the one struggling through daily living, “Come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Dorothy called last week. Her phone call was preceded by a text message with a photo of her living room in total disarray with diapers and clothes and empty baby bottles, and off to the right of the photo you could see two screaming babies. In the center of the picture was the Christmas tree. All the lights on the tree, but instead of being in the vertical position, it is on the floor. The photo came only seconds before pitiful-sounding Dorothy called sobbing, “My babies are crying, I am crying, and my tree fell down.” I don’t know if any of you remember, maybe you are experiencing this right now or will soon, but daily living is sometimes too much. We pile one more thing on top of daily living, and then one more thing. And soon our tree falls over, and we do, too. Work demands so much- children, marriage, bills, and we get tired and stressed out. There is never any time left over for you to take care of your needs. And in December we add to the daily stresses of everyday life the expense and time to takes to get ready for Christmas. Before we know it our tree falls over, and we find ourselves sobbing. We talk about trials and tribulations and how Christ overcame disease and sin and death, but we don’t’ talk much about how to get through the daily, everyday, over and over of everyday living. Jesus’ solution to the person fighting cancer is the same solution He gives to the one struggling through daily living, “Come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”