Life is Fragile…

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is here already and Christmas is around the corner. I enjoy Christmas music and decorations. It is often my hope to get my tree up early in the season in order to have time to cherish its beauty. This year I expect getting the tree lit and adorned with ornaments soon may actually happen. It has been retrieved from the garage where it was in storage. Unfortunately, when my rather petite Christmas tree was brought into my house, it looked a bit pathetic. Some of the branches had fallen out, and those that remained were rather scraggly and misshapen. A large portion of the previously lovely lights were tangled and burned out. Apparently the tree was handled roughly and damaged by other items roughly and hastily put in the same space. A friend diligently worked today to repair the mangled tree. I watched this helper straighten the twisted boughs and untangle the strands of lights and discard the broken ones. As I observed her work, I was thinking about how delicate the items were and how I wished they had been handled more carefully.

Life is fragile too. We must not be careless with what is precious. All too often distractions and activities and an abundance of stuff crowd out and impede what is truly valuable. If we have a wrong focus, or are inattentive to the needs of others, we can cause pain and damage relationships. Sadly, I have been guilty of being self-absorbed and have behaved selfishly and at times have hurt those who matter most.

I am grateful for Jesus, the reason for the season. He came to be our Savior. Thankfully, he can untangle the mess we’ve made and restore light and hope to our lives.