Week 46 – Perfection?

Alice and I spent this afternoon putting up the Christmas tree (like so many people have been doing) as part of the preparation towards Christmas.  Unless you are my sister, and she has put up three!  In fact it has been known for her to consider the possible location of the Christmas tree (or in her case trees) before deciding on the purchase of any of the houses she has bought!  I must admit that I do have a tendency to a bit of OCD myself as far as the tree is concerned.  I have been known to completely strip the tree after the children have gone to bed, in an attempt to get the perfect arrangement of lights,baubles and tinsel! Why do we stress so much to obtain perfection?!

What a minefield Christmas dinner is.  Do we do what  Delia or Nigella say when doing our roast potatoes?  Actually I prefer Jamie Oliver – but that isn’t necessarily for his catering skills!  But if we get it wrong, our perfect Christmas dinner is down the pan, quite literally in this case!  Celebrations are meant to be a time for us to celebrate.

I looked to celebrate up in the dictionary:

 1) To observe (a day) or commemorate (an event) with ceremonies or festivities.

 2) To make known publicly, proclaim.

 3) To praise widely or to widespread and favourable public notice.

 4) To perform with appropriate ceremonies, solemnize-to celebrate a marriage.

Which leads me neatly onto the other big celebration in our household, my eldest daughter’s wedding on December 27th no less. Oh how to make that perfect? The wedding dress which I have in my possession as I type, what a responsibility, I have got to take it to be steamed so there are no creases and get it back to the bride all in one piece looking perfect….here we go again and I tell you it’s more stressful than tinsel and baubles!  Stress levels high, not what the doctor ordered, I am off sick after all!

Then I went to church. I prayed, I even asked for divine intervention on writing this, the need for perfection not far away. Then as I was praying that wonderful sense of peace that only comes from God, does it really matter if it’s not perfect? Jesus spent most of His time on earth hanging around with people who were looked upon by society as being far from perfect! Also what control have I got really in making it perfect?  Laura’s dress may look perfect but it could throw it down with rain just as she gets to church and it wont be perfect, I have no control over the weather.  Like I have no control over a lot of things.

While I have been off poorly it has at times been quite frustrating waiting to see doctors, waiting for results, we with our modern technology have got so used to things being done quickly we want it all in an instant – we find it hard  to wait.  When we pray to God we often want an instant answer but often it isn’t like that with God.  He has a different time and agenda to us but I know He does answer prayer and when I look back I see how perfect God’s timing has been.

 We are in a period of waiting now, we are waiting to commemorate the birth of Jesus.  He wasn’t born into perfect surroundings, He wasn’t lain in the latest Mothercare cradle but He is the most perfect gift. We because of Jesus have hope when everything around us seems terrible and the world has become a dark and terrible place we have hope. To lose hope is to lose everything but as Christians we always have hope because of Jesus, we have the assurance of eternal life,we have the assurance that no matter how we fail, how far from perfect we are, we always have God’s Love.   So as we wait for the time when we celebrate as Christians the coming of Our Lord, lets take that hope to those who dwell in darkness.

As for me well I’m not going to stress, being ill actually makes you stop and realize what’s important, what are the priorities, I’m never going to make it perfect but I’ll do my best that’s all any of us can do but where ever my life journey takes me I know I am always surrounded in God’s Love, I have Jesus as my friend and guide.  As for Laura’s wedding I am sure it will be wonderful because we will be celebrating two people coming together before God, in Love. The tree, well with two cats in the house what chance have I got!

I wish you all  a very Joyful and Peaceful Christmas and a Happy NewYear.

Hopefully God willing, I shall be back with you in the very near future.  Love and God Bless

Sarah Fisher

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