What do you find yourself resisting right now? I have to admit I’m resisting the weather. We are pretty wimpy here in Portland, Oregon, and we are in the middle of a week or so of below-freezing weather, with chance of two more snowstorms on top of the one we had Sunday. (Of course, to be honest, 2 inches of snow can shut this city down). A low of 10 degrees F. is pretty cold for us. I find myself very crabby about it, and of course it is completely out of my control.
The weather is not the only thing we can’t control, of course. Other people’s behavior is a prime one that can drive us over the edge. The holiday season can bring out the worst in folks, both at church and in our families. We can’t control how the Advent and Christmas services go, not completely. We can’t always control who comes or doesn’t come to Christmas dinner, or what they say and do when they are present.
Once again, it comes back to our own response. I’m trying, with varying degrees of success, to welcome the bad weather. Can we also welcome the ups and downs of the holiday season, our experience of being overwhelmed or lonely? It’s a way of being present to life as it is, not as we wish it were.