itchy red pants

’Tis the season to be jolly…and eat chocolate treats, wear leggings with fuzzy socks, and watch Christmas movies into the night…and dance in the Nutcracker! This is a special time of year! The big girls and I make the most of Brett’s late nights of work by watching Christmas movies on the couch under blankets. It’s actually great because they jump at the chance to sweep the kitchen floor after supper, quickly vacuum the living room carpet, and make an icy Coke 0 for me, in order to get to movie time!

At this time of year, we also enjoy the story of The Nutcracker. Last year was the first time to be in it, including Brett and me as Linley’s party parents! This year, the four big girls auditioned again. Linley received a call-back, which sounded like good news, although I was not sure for what role. When they told her Clara, which is the big character aside from the Sugar Plum Fairy, for all those who don’t know the story well, she was ecstatic. Not to be a dance mom, but I was ecstatic too! After 48 hours of waiting, the cast list came out, and she was cast as…a soldier…

So, needless to say, she was not thrilled. Okay, she was rather mad, in fact, and I can’t say I blame her. We have all had our share of disappointments. It’s totally fine to be frustrated, then pick ourselves up, dust off, and do the best with it. She was told she didn’t have to dance, or if she wanted to, it would be important to keep a good attitude and do the best with the part. It’s tough to watch the other girls get to try on the pretty costumes and wear sparkles while you…wear itchy red pants and a hat.

I think we can all say we have been disappointed we didn’t get to be Clara at some point in our lives. It’s tough to be passed over when we know we could do a good job, given the opportunity. We would all love to curl our hair, wear a pretty party dress, and sit on the throne in the Land of Sweets, right? Sometimes we must wear the red pants and hat.

As disappointed as I was for her, I realized that if she had received the major role, she might have become arrogant, or might miss out on a lesson God wants to teach. For whatever reason, Clara was not God’s best for her at this time. It is important for her (and me) to want to be like God more than have what we want in the moment. Is it more important for her to be like Christ or be popular? To follow God’s best is far better in the end. It’s still difficult to live like this, even when we know it to be true. In the long run, I would rather her be like Christ than have something that might be amazing at the time, but would not be best.

It would be easy to only half participate, not get the t-shirt and wear it around town for the show, but we decided we would be all in. We decided we wanted to go all in, wear the shirt, because one day, we could see what God does through this experience, even when we cannot see the purpose right now. Later on, the shirt will remind us how God worked in our lives at this time and how God used this experience for His glory. We stay humble and God will lift us up in His time (James 4:10).

Humility is Godly, and also relieves a lot of pressure. In humility, we never have to worry about keeping up or worry about how we look. Whew! That take a load of stress away! One of my favorite verses is the following:

Aspire to live a quiet life, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands.

1 Thessalonians 4:11

I don’t have to scratch and claw my way to the top. I can slow down, do my best with the jobs I am given, and let God do the hard work. I don’t have to work it out! God has it all under control. I can feel myself calming down as I understand this!

What are your red pants and hat you wear? Sometimes it looks like a missed job, a broken relationship, longing for something that just isn’t happening. Remember that God hears you always and He loves you too much to give you what isn’t best for you! This new year, remember God loves you and wants the very best!

'Tis also a season for Thanksgiving Baking Day, when we wear new Christmas pajamas and bake for the next day.

December is full of celebration, including Jenna's and Raegan's birthdays! We dress the dining area up in wintery sparks of pinks, purples, and turquoises. This year, they invited a few ballet friends over and served waffles with hot chocolate, to watch The Polar Express.

Love,

Charis

Pic(k) of the week:

I had a Starbucks gift card, so I made a quick trip down the road to get an iced vanilla latte so I sit at my sewing desk and sip it during "quiet time." I left it on my dresser after I read Deacon a Bible story and covered him with his nap blankets. After I checked on everyone else, I went back to my room to grab my coffee and I couldn't find Deacon. I finally discovered him hiding behind some long dresses in my closet. I laid him back down and discovered this scene. The evidence shows he tried to take a drink and spilled it. It could have been worse and spilled all into my clothes in the drawer. He also could have finished it off! I am so glad he didn't, but I was mad because I missed out on a whole ounce or so of that sweet goodness!