In some places his power is knocking people down. In other places his power is making people stand tall and strong.

In some places he’s giving people loud voices. In other places he’s causing people to sit in silence.

In some places he’s making people speak in other unknown languages. In other places he’s giving them clear messages in their native language.

Intentional, focused attention for a given amount of time.

It’s January 1, 2020. Last night there was a lot of partying going on. All around the world. (Not me, I admit. I went to be while my fam stayed up. High fives to them!)

So today, it got me thinking: Jesus partied all the time. 

But not all the time. 

You can give 100% of yourself to as task, a person, a cause, or a career, but at 0% it’s time to recharge. Time to give nothing, because you have nothing left to give. 

To raise a child. It also takes a village to raise an adult. The project never really comes to a close.

And since no man is an island, since we all depend on one another, I cannot work out God’s will in my own life unless I also consciously help other men to work out His will in theirs. His will, then, is our sanctification, our transformation in Christ, our deeper and fuller integration with other men. And this integration results not in the absorption and disappearance of our own personality, but in its affirmation and its perfection.

Thomas Merton, No Man Is An Island

Christmas is an easy time to recognize gifts. They come wrapped in festive paper. Sometimes extra special bows. Often we’re sitting in a room with other people we love, watching one another open the presents that we so thoughtfully chose. 

When the gifts are so obvious, our responses come automatically: “Thank you!” (Even if it’s another ugly sweater, or a cooking pot we don’t really need). But really, regardless of the gifts, most of the time we mean the “Thank you.” Because someone thought to give us something. 

John the Baptists, that is. Here’s what Matthew says of John:

This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”

Matthew 3:3

That is, trust in someone doesn’t mean that you sit back and do nothing, but that you do the next right thing for you to do. Trust is active engagement, not passive waiting.

Trusting your doctor means then taking the prescription given to you, following all the instructions as closely as possible. 

Trusting the company that built your car means getting into it and driving your kids to school and yourself to work. And then back home again. 

We are communicative creatures. We always have something we need to say. Something we need someone else to hear. That last part being perhaps the most important part to consider when it comes to how we choose communicate. How we communicate affects what is received.

Get near to Jesus. 

Sorry if that sounds like some toothless religious platitude. It’s not. It’s got jaws like a gator that won’t let go.

The reason is that the antidote to Death is Life. The remedy for Decay is Resurrection. The solution isn’t to stir up more gusto for life, to watch an inspiring Ted Talk, or to read a self-help book on motivation—as genuinely good and helpful as they may be. No, there’s only one thing to do that is likely to have any affect at all: get near to Jesus.