worst

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It’s The Worst Part Of Christmas

What’s the worst part of Christmas? … I know it’s not what you would usually think of at this time of year, but I was faced with something I don’t really like and that’s when I started wondering. 

worst part of Christmas

I’m sure that everyone has their own idea of the worst part of Christmas. For some people it might be the stress of entertaining. For others it’s all the gatherings. For most children it’s probably the waiting.

For me, maybe the worst part of Christmas is the wrapping of presents. 

I’ve just never really liked it. Much like shopping, it seems to suck the life out of me. After spending an hour wrapping four or five presents, I’m tired and exhausted.

Yes, I know some of you are questioning what takes me so long to wrap presents.  

Maybe it’s my dislike of the task that drags it out for me. I just can’t wrap presents quickly.

I liked it about twenty years ago when people would put a present in a bag with drawstrings. It was like a hoody for presents! Wrapping took no time. 

Sadly, it seems that that fad has faded and we are left with the good old wrapping paper and tape.

When I was a kid, my aunt wrapped presents the best. They were perfect, and perfectly coordinated with the bow. … I can never seem to get the corners sharp or the paper tight around the present. 

Some people are able to do a nice job of wrapping a present, but they cheat. They use so much tape that it’s near impossible to unwrap their gift. Those people have lost the focus that it’s the gift and not the wrapping that is the most important thing. 

However, a well-wrapped gift is sure inviting … it’s just so painful to do. Sometimes you have to work with a subject that is an odd size or shape, making the task even more difficult and painstaking. 

At least the wrapping paper creators have done one thing that is nice. They have put little guidelines on the back side of the paper to help with cutting. There’s still skill involved because, even with the grid pattern, I can’t seem to cut a straight line.

And then there is the aftermath. After you’ve worked so hard and long at wrapping the gift, it is opened in a second or two … unless you doubled down on the tape.

I remember the days in the living room of the home I grew up in. Mom stressed with every present that was being opened, pleading, “Save the paper!” 

She was so ahead of her time, wanting to save the trees. What an environmentalist she was.

Now that paper hits a green garbage bag before the plastic shrink wrap is ripped off the box.

Wrapping presents – it’s the worst part of Christmas. Let’s bring back present hoodies.

Here’s the thing: I think the worst part of Christmas for Mary and Joseph might have been right after Jesus was born. I imagine they looked around at where they were, and at their baby who didn’t look any different than any other baby. It had been a hard and difficult nine months. Nothing seemed special about this child. Maybe they questioned the angel visits they had both had. But then the shepherds came in. They told the story of what the angels had said and sung about their little baby. And then looking at the face of Jesus, Mary and Joseph knew God had done this. They were actually holding this gift. Make sure you are holding God’s gift this Christmas. You can’t hold Him in your arms, rather hold Him in your heart. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Questions: What’s the hardest part of Christmas for you? Leave your comments and questions below.

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It Was The Worst Or The Best – You Be The Judge

I crashed my bike the other day and it was either the worst or the best crash of the year.

I usually have a number of crashes to pick from in determining my most spectacular crash. This one rated up there. The bike was alright, but my body suffered a little more than usual.

On the trail I was riding, there is a section that goes right through a corn field. It’s pretty cool riding along a 4-foot wide trail with walls of corn about 6 1/2 feet high on either side of you. Your elbows slap the sheaves of corn as you ride through this gauntlet.

On one bend in the trail, I took it a little fast and maybe a bit wide. I got too close to the stocks and, before I knew it, I spilled all over the place.

I hit my head on the ground; I think I bounced at least once. I had the wind knocked out of me, so I gasped to get my breath back.

And, oh ya, I was sore.

The thing is all I could think about was the guy gearing up to go biking when I had set out. I figured he would be coming along at any moment. I was hidden by the corn and a curve in the trail so I could see an even bigger crash looming.

The only thing I could think of to do was what you do when you get hit in hockey: get up fast and try to make it look like you’re not hurt.

I was aching and still a little dazed but I kind of flopped on my bike and started riding.

By the time I got out of the corn I didn’t think of checking to see if I was okay. My head cleared and the pain had subsided.

I just rode on.

As I continued on the trail, I kept thinking, “I’m going to be sore tomorrow.”

I was right about being sore, but wrong about the timing! I started feeling really sore on the drive back, and by the time I got home I was not moving very well.

The ground where I had fallen was like cement and, in talking to a guy who farms, I learned that the corn sucks everything out of the soil.

I’ve felt sidewalks that have more give to them than the spot where I fell!

I figured I had bruised some ribs, and though my wife and daughter think I might have cracked a few, I’m holding to my diagnosis.

I talked to a friend who said cracked ribs can take 6-8 weeks to heal … I definitely don’t have that kind of time to give to the healing process.

Here’s the thing: Depending on how you look at something difficult, it can either be the worst or the best. My fall may have been my worst crash this year, but certainly not my worst crash ever. I could also look at it as the best crash this year, the most spectacular because it was a big crash but I walked away from it. In your life, God can give you the right perspective to have when going through difficult or troubled times. Look to Him – what you’re going through could be the worst, or maybe it’s the best.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How has God helped you see the positive in difficult times? Leave your comments below.