Life's Traffic Jams

Living in Phoenix you get used to traffic jams or slow traffic. If you have to get somewhere downtown at certain times of the day you know you are going to be in one. Slowly you learn some shortcuts that eventually everyone finds and then they are no longer shortcuts. There is nothing worst than sitting in traffic because everybody wants to get to a similar location at the same time. I remember the worst traffic jam I ever found myself in. It was in Chicago, where as some one once said they have two seasons, winter and road construction! This was the road construction season and traffic was at a dead standstill. After what seem over an hour I found an exit ramp and took it. As I was driving off the freeway I looked to my side and was amazed at the sight. Traffic wasn't moving for miles up ahead. It was going to be a long day for many people. The funniest thing though was a guy who was riding a stationary exercise bike that he had in the back of his truck! It was like the Chicago version of the Biggest Loser. He knew traffic wasn't going anywhere so he might as well put the time to good use!
Life can have its traffic jams at times as well. In the church there are some obvious ones. From about the middle of April to the end of November traffic moves pretty well. There is a lot to do but it is spread out enough that it is doable. Then comes the Christmas season. During this period, time as one person put it ceases to exist, and everything happens at once. There are Christmas programs at church and at school, there are Christmas parties at school and at church and at people's homes. There are dinners and get togethers and special services, and it all happens at once! People begin to act crazy they spend more money than they have, they eat way to much and they give fruitcakes to people and expect them to be happy about it. Has anyone ever actually eaten a fruitcake? During this season the expectations are extremely high. There are traditions that need to be observed no matter the cost, there are presents to be bought and cards to send. And of course there are the people that send the Christmas letter that details everything their family did this past year. The pain and sheer boredom of reading the Christmas letter has replaced being invited over to their place to watch a long winded slide show of their last vacation to Dollywood, but I digress.
In short life kicks into overdrive and as a result it stops dead in its tracks. We are all running our engines, in this case at max RPMs and going nowhere. As I think about this, I wonder if the guy sitting on the exercise bike in the middle of a Chicago traffic jam had it right. Maybe its time to stop beeping the horn and cursing the traffic and shut the engine off, get out of the driver's seat and do something worthwhile that will have some lasting results. How about slowing down and stepping away from what the world is going to do in this commercialized version of Christmas and concentrate on what really matters. Maybe its time to remember what happened two thousand years ago. Maybe its time to sit down by the manger and catch our breath and observe God taking on flesh for us. We can still enjoy the tree and the lights and food and the presents but enjoy them in light of the infant at Christmas who is also the infinite God. If we all do that the traffic might begin to break up and start moving again at a healthy rate.
No one likes the stress of Christmas. The only answer to that is to keep our focus and expend our energy only on the necessary things. And the only thing necessary for Christmas is the baby Jesus.

Pastor Fred