Resuming

It's time to start school full-time tomorrow after a long, glorious break celebrating the birth of our Savior and enjoying time with family and friends. Part of the transition back to the 'grind' was getting our house back in order, which took all day Saturday. We decorate extensively for Christmas, so gearing up to pack it all away is a bit of an effort. It is interesting how crisp a house and yard feel when the decorations are put away though. Those extraneous items are so pretty and fun to have around, but only for a while.

We can have extras in our regular lives that are also nice--and also just for a while. Perhaps like me you've stayed up too late for most of the break, have eaten sweets like your metabolism is speedier than it is, have watched a lot of TV compared to usual (dang that Alaska: The Last Frontier!) and have NOT exercised. Or perhaps the extras are more permanent things that are holding you back from serving the Lord on a day-to-day basis.

Entering a new year is a good time to evaluate our lives: how we spend our time, what we spend it on, who we spend it with, and who we're living for. The finite amount of time in a day deserves to be divided up wisely so we can best be used of the Lord.

Like undecorating, looking at our lives doesn't necessarily feel thrilling,  but the end result will be similar to a house whose decorations have freshly been put away for another year: a little less cluttered with extra room to do what is most important.