It’s Sunday and Monday morning is coming. The alarm will go off, and you will hit the floor running. After the chaos of everyone getting dressed & off to school and work, you stop at the drive-thru to get your daily caffeine push with a “Blondie” brew. You come through the doors at work like a racehorse leaving the gate. It’s a full court press all day. But it’s not over as you get in your car to go home.

When you get home it’s time to get little Johnny to practice and precious little Mary to her dance class. You fly into the drive-thru at Chick-Fil-A for the family supper. Tonight, you will be lucky if everyone will get home by 10 o’clock. Sometime later you simply crash into bed knowing you will be rolling out in a few hours to do it all over again. You are so busy you don’t notice the elephant in the room.

Sound like you? If it does…know you are among many people on the treadmill of busy. A stationary treadmill that will produce being overwhelmed, tired and discouraged. I’ve been there. I tried to do it all…to make everybody happy. Everyday I put on a clown suit, happy on the outside, miserable on the inside. Everything…everyone was my priority!

So, who are you trying to please? It is impossible to set priorities without clearly establishing who you are trying to please. And until you have that, the priority, you will never be able to deal with the elephant in the room.

The elephant does not have to be bad to be disruptive. It just needs to eat…and it eats a lot. I have learned the hard way, If you don’t control the elephant, the elephant will control you. But how?

This is a perfect time of the year to prepare for a fresh start. Schedule time to be alone. Yep, it’s the hardest time of the year but it is essential. Just you and God. One man in Bible study last night described it this way. “God put on my heart to spend 1 hour alone with Him in silence each week. No phone, no one…nothing else.” It changed everything. “Be still, and know that I am God!” Psalm 46:10

I have learned, Jesus was right! When He was asked what is “the” priority, He replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 37-40 When He is your “One & Only” Top Priority you will be given the power to say “NO” to busy.

So, this Christmas season give yourself and your loved ones a present. As you quietly watch the flickering lights of the Christmas tree, talk to Him. Pray His Word, “Lord, help me learn your ways. Show me how you want me to live. Guide me and teach me your truths. You are my God, my Savior. You are the one I have been waiting for.” Psalm 25:4-5 (ERV)

Merry Christmas