Mike Paschall . com

WATCH THIS FIRST (even if you’ve already seen it)… It helps set the mood:  CLICK  HERE!

I will not be 1 of the estimated 152 million people who will compete in the annual Black Friday insanity.  I slept all night, I’m sitting on my couch drinking coffee this morning, and I will eat leftovers in my own home today, see some football, maybe take a ride on the Indian if my team is getting severely whacked, and basically just try to keep it simple.  People have been sleeping in tents for days waiting for the stores to open at the magic hour.  I’ve heard the arguments; all about family camaraderie, special bonding, the great deals, blah blah blah, but this ole country boy thinks that we’ve lost our frikk’n minds about all this.

The proximate cause of all the frenzy is Christ-mas.  Yeah, yeah, I know all about the bargains, but somewhere way back there, the initiate of all this craziness is the thought of HIM giving a gift.  The startling idea that God did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves.  No amount of our striving makes any difference.  HE did the work.  HE paid the cost.  HE balanced the accounts.  HE absolved the guilt and stain.  HE gave the gift.  Our part was to know that HE first loved us.  Simple stuff:  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased”  Luke 2:14.

Nicholas Hindes shot that video a couple years back of a kid in Kenya getting his first pair of shoes.  The whole moment still wrecks me every time I see it.  I wished we could somehow get the download of this moment into the spirit of our Christ-mas rhythm.  I think we’re guilty of blowing up the small stuff and shrinking the bigger picture.

Will we make it any different this year?

-MDP-