31 Days of Prayer: What really matters

I think this picture (above) says it all for today's blog post.

Christmastime feels different depending on your age and life experience. When you're a child, you can't wait for Christmas Day so you can rush to the Christmas tree in your house and see if "Santa" granted your wish list. When you're a young adult you may have reached the point where you don't ask for material gifts, you just ask for what you need which often simply is money. When you marry and have kids of your own, you want to give them all the joys of the holiday season that you experienced as a child. So what matters to you is creating a happy home not just for the holidays but forever. And then as your hair starts to turn gray, your kids are grown and moved out of the house and it's just you and your spouse or just you and your pet dog/cat/fish...All of a sudden you may start to write your own "wish list" because all you want for Christmas is more time spent with your family or better health or a few more years of life here on Earth.

It's when we grow old and have a lot of life experience, that we start to realize what really matters in life. No, it's not how beautiful you've decorated your house to celebrate the holiday season. No, it's not how much money is in your bank account. No, it's not about the kind of car you drive. No, it's not about where you live or who your friends are. But yes, it's about spending time with the people who matter most to you. It's about taking time to appreciate all God has blessed you with in this life. It is about asking for more of what mankind cannot give you-- more time, perfect peace, bountiful joy, eternal hope and unfailing love. Only God can give you those priceless gifts!

So this Christmas, I'd like us all to pray that we learn more about what really matters in this journey we call life. And once we realize what really matters, may we make the proper changes in our lifestyle to embrace life for what it is--a gift from God.