Every Christmas I look forward to spending two weeks at home with my parents. This gives a much needed time for rest, memory making with family, indulging in foods that you cannot get in SVG, and focusing on the upcoming year.
Though I love the Christmas break by day nine my mind and body will start becoming restless about returning to SVG. That nervous energy will continue to build till it can hardly be contained…I’ve spent much of today pacing around the house like a tiger in his cage 🙂
There’s nothing really wrong with this since the Lord has called me to Saint-Vincent. But that nervous energy also comes from a more sinister source…..the desire for productivity.
Understandably my two week Christmas break is more about spending time with loved ones than getting work done. The problem is after a week of memory making my mind kicks into “let’s get some work done” mode and I start missing my routine of productivity on the island. By day thirteen it’s incredibly easy to focus on lack of productivity and forget all the wonderful memories that I’ve made.
like worshipping with my entire family for the first time in over a year
Studying for a sermon with my father (and the family dog)
Sleeping in my niece and nephews room just so she could excitedly whisper in my ear “it’s Christmas!” on Christmas morning.
Eating a Bacon Cheeseburger with my mom
Going through the books from my Australian library for the first time in six years
And sharing my burden for the Vincentian people at my home Church
Could I have gotten more work done if I stayed in Saint Vincent? Of course! But the Lord is teaching me even on my pacing tiger days memories made with loved ones are far more important than a completed to-do list.
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