Hello, Community,

One of my favorite things about this time of year is being able to look back. I soak in it, starting with music. I have a few songs that I listen to around this time of year because my dad used to listen to them. Nat King Cole, The Spinners, Isaac Hayes, Earth, Wind, and Fire are a few of the artists he listened to.

Next are the cherished traditions of my childhood: going to our grandma’s house and eating and just hanging out with family; the break we would get when we got out of school was so memorable because we would watch cartoons and ride our bikes all day. As we got older, we would go to the basketball courts in the neighborhood and meet up with friends to play. Still, later, we would get together and talk and catch up with one another. Now that everyone has their own families and life seems to be moving at light speed, those moments don’t happen as much anymore, and you cherish any time with those from your childhood and early adulthood.

These things connect me to the past, and spending time in memory feels good. But if the Ghost of Christmas Past visit lasts too long, the sentimentality and longing for simpler, happier times can turn sad and bitter. If I linger in memory too long, it can interfere with my ability to appreciate where I am and all the good that’s coming. (I can also forget that “simpler, happier” is often a memory trick as time passes; it’s easy to recall the good and forget the difficult.)

I must connect in this season to the future and the past to balance memory with imagination. It’s healthy for me to dream, plan, and explore hope. I’ve learned it’s good for me to begin asking myself now what I’m hoping for next year concerning my personal, family, and professional life. What will allow me to wake up with hope and passion? What will get me out of bed, excited for each day?

That imagining looks mostly like setting priorities around what I sense God calling me to and where I sense my heart is leading me: to things like prayer, physical activity and being outdoors some with our dogs, traveling and spending time with Karrie and our soon-to-be-all-upper teenage children, going deeper into a relationship with my closest friends.

But that’s not all. Memory and imagination are necessary but not sufficient. Indeed, if either the visits from the Ghosts of Christmas Past or Christmas Yet to Come last too long, I could become numb to the wonder of the present moment. By focusing too much on what’s been lost to the past or too much on what might be gained in the future, I inevitably miss the blessing of what is happening right now. I miss the blessing of unexpected conversations, surprising experiences, sudden realizations, extraordinary breakthroughs new sounds, smells, and tastes.

I could miss God himself because he is always present in the present.

So, the trick for me is to make time this month for silence. One of my favorite things to do is to steal downstairs in the evening and sit for a few minutes at my desk, watching a movie or writing something. Sitting still, doing nothing, allows me to see things with fresh eyes. I’m able to notice much more of what’s going on around me and stirring in my heart. I’m able to look for God, to listen for the whisper of his voice, to sense his gentle words around my ears, to appreciate the blessings he’s bestowing, big and small.

I pray you can do that, too. I pray you can sense his presence today.

And I pray Community for Digital Christians has helped you become present in his presence this past year.