Titus 2 Christian HomeKeeper ™

Yesterday was my grandson’s third birthday. Because Jamie was so excited and looking forward to it for many months, we wanted to give him a party to remember. We had a lot of people coming to his party and, as anyone who has organised a large children’s party would know, there was a lot of preparation.Early yesterday morning I rang my daughter with my head buzzing with things that needed to be brought/baked/wrapped/written on/prizes prepared/games to play etc etc. After about 20 minutes of discussion, I finally got off the phone and leapt into action. So much to do, so much to do! By then my head was spinning! But I told myself it would be worth it, because Jamie would be sooo pleased!Jamie!! He was the “birdday” boy and I hadn’t even remembered to say “Happy birthday” to him! I grabbed the phone and dialled my daughter’s number. Jamie answered and for the umpteenth time these last few months he greeted me with, “Nanny, it’s my birdday!”I wished him a happy birthday and sang him the birthday song that he sang at the top of his lungs along with me! His delight made me feel worse that I hadn’t even remembered to wish him happy birthday earlier on. I had gotten so wrapped up with extraneous things that I had forgotten the reason for our busyness was of course Jamie’s ‘birdday’. He ended up having a wonderful day, but that morning got me thinking a lot.

I thought about how we get caught up with the “peripherals” as I call them- the sides of the big picture and how often we don’t focus on the “why” rather on the “how” of things. I thought of Mary and Martha, with Martha tending to the “peripherals” whilst Mary focused on the truly important issues. My daughter and I had been Marthas yesterday morning. We had temporarily lost track of the fact that Jamie was the focus of this activity.

I also reflected on Christmas and the fevered preparation and expense- and the fact that we are celebrating the birth of Jesus Who so often gets pushed back as a “peripheral” when He is in fact The All of the event- the main focus. I resolved this Christmas to focus more on Him than on the “peripherals”. Because only focusing on the important things adds a richness to our lives, whereas “peripherals” fade quickly and don’t satisfy as real life experiences.

It is not wrong to attend to “peripherals”, in fact it would be a very sad world if we didn’t. Preparation and planning are necessary for any event to be a success. But I think it is sad if we allow the “peripherals” to so become our focus that we lose sight of what or whom we are in fact celebrating or why we are doing something.

In everything, I think we need to be balanced. In trying to be all things to all people or by providing the best event or celebration, it is very easy to lose our focus. Then we risk losing out on the richness of life’s experiences by making our memory’s colours fade. “Peripherals” don’t make a great picture usually. Let’s focus on what’s truly important and live our lives in the vibrant colour of a focused life.

“Happy birdday dear Jamie, happy birdday to you!”

© Glenys Robyn Hicks