This Christmas...Stop and Smell the Roses

Psalm 118:24
This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. 


Years ago, my wife and I had a landscape maintenance business. We had one customer who loved her roses. I mean loved her babies. To her, the roses were her babies. Each week we were there, we mowed, edged, and pruned the bushes. Sprayed for weeds, and tended to the needs of the roses.  

There must have been two or three dozen roses, all planted in a large group. A majority of our time was spent on the roses. We would prune them. We would spray them. We would put powders on them. We would fertilize them. Even as we were there, the owner would come out and cut a fresh bouquet to take into her house to enjoy. For years we did this, but it never dawned on me to stop to smell the roses. We were always too busy, and needed to stay on schedule to get to the next house. Until one day, something clicked, as we were getting ready leave. I bent over and smelled the roses for the first time. Wow, in amazement, I now knew why these roses meant so much to the home owner. They looked so beautiful, and smelled so sweet. No wonder these roses were her babies. 

I think life is the same way. We get so busy every day and forget to stop and smell the roses. I love what Bil Keane said. “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift from God, which is why they call it a present.” Stop and think about it for a minute. Have you ever seen a Christmas tree on December 26th that still had a wrapped present underneath it? Of course not. But that is exactly what many of us do on a daily basis. We don’t fully unwrap the gift God gave us that day. We think back to the good old days. Or we wish for tomorrow, to fulfill some dream we may have. But we miss what God gave us today. God gave us the gift of today to stop and enjoy. In our busy schedules this season, let's take the time first and foremost, to spend time with God. Then let's not forget to spend some time for ourselves. 

Get out and go for a walk. Brew a warm cup of tea or coffee, and grab a favorite book. Maybe even call an old friend. Texting doesn’t count. Go old school and pick up the phone. Enjoy today, because seasons change, and so opportunities can pass us by quickly. Before we know it, another year has slipped through our fingers.  

This Christmas, open all the gifts under the tree. The last two have your name on them. The first one is Christmas itself. Christmas starts with the word “Christ.” He is the reason for the season. Luke 2: 8-11 says, “And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flocks by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” 

The last gift to open today is appropriately called a present. Bil Keane said it well when he said, “Today is a gift from God, which is why they call it a present.” Don’t forget to open all your gifts today. 
Psalm 118:24 says. "This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  

This Christmas...Stop and Smell the Roses 

for KING & COUNTRY- Go Tell It On The Mountain