Explosive Christmas

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV)

Recently while considering titles for my art work, I noticed that most of the drawings I am
currently doing look like some kind of explosion. I suppose that is what I need to express
right now. My whole life feels like an explosion.

So when I began putting the color in my Christmas card drawing, I thought – oh, wow; I
drew another explosion, with a Christmas theme no less. And when I finished the drawing
and was considering writing some kind of message of peace, I realized – explosions may
be many things, but one thing they are not is peaceful.

Explosions are not necessarily bad. They have their time and their purpose. Sometimes it is
necessary to destroy something in order to build something better. And sometimes
explosions are about joy and excitement.

And honestly, I believe that for most people of our culture, Christmas is more explosive than
peaceful; a time of excitement maybe, but a time of stress and busyness and sometimes, a
time of experiencing loss and loneliness more profoundly.

Of course, there is much to be said for slowing down and finding a place of peace in the
midst of explosions, whether they be explosions of our own making or explosions forced
upon us.

When we find ourselves in a stage of life that feels like an explosion, the first step, I would
think, would be to prayerfully consider the purpose. Is God allowing this time of tearing
down in order to prepare us for some new and wonderful next stage in our walk with Him?

God bless you, all my wonderful family and friends all over the world. I pray that God will
bless you with joy, purpose, and peace as you approach the challenges of the coming
year.

RoseDQ December 2009