Gingerbread and Christmas Card Update!

I wanted to update and let you all know that the gingerbread house did get built (though it met with an untimely demise at the hands of one very upset 7 year old).

And drum roll please ... our Christmas cards have officially been mailed. Yippee! It should not have been such a chore, and yet, I made it into one. Shame on me. These cards are to celebrate the birth of Jesus and I was doing nothing but complaining about the whole process.

I have been mulling over my true reason for the cards taking so long to get out. Here is what I came up with. Yes, the whole process is tiresome, but I have this problem. Not only am I a procrastinator extraordinaire, but I was once told by a pastoral counselor that I was a "discouraged perfectionist". That meant, I want things to be right or perfect, but if I perceive they will not be I get discouraged and often chuck the whole thing. In this case, I did not chuck the cards, but I did drag my feet, because I knew they weren't going to turn out just the way I had planned. I had a picture composite I didn't care for and a letter that just didn't seem to come together as I had hoped. Not to mention a major ordeal with the envelopes. So it wasn't going to be perfect, and I knew it. Ugh. I hate that.

Now, I have been accused of turning things too often back to the spiritual side, but the other reason the biggest reason of all that these cards seemed like a chore, was because I have not been spending time (in prayer or the WORD) with the LORD as I strive to. Nothing sucks the joy out of Christmas like a heart bent on the world instead of the LORD. Worrying how the cards are going to look or whether or not the perfect letter is written is a poor substitute for time with the LORD. I am realizing a pattern for myself. If you have read my blog with any regularity you might notice at least one other time and probably countless others not recorded where I have noted that I have been out of touch with the LORD and felt great distress because of it. When will I learn? Daily time in His WORD and prayer are the greatest ways to stay joyful, to have peace, to develop trust in HIM.

Will tomorrow be different? I guess technically today is tomorrow because I am writing this a little after midnight having started it on Thursday this will post on Friday. Perhaps, I should start now. Spending time with Him on this day which He has made. May I rejoice and be glad in it. Merry Christmas a little early!