Recently, I lost my address book. Not my “virtual” address book. My real, paper and pen address book. The one I had written Christmas cards from for years, the one in which I recorded gifts and thank you notes for gifts. The one with all of the important doctors’ office numbers, and some passwords and other significant numbers. I was devastated. Hundreds of names and numbers from decades back. How could I ever recoup all of the information? How could I even remember all of the names?
Filled with some sadness, I began to e-mail friends and family, to see how many (snail mail) addresses I could replace. I received quite a few responses quite quickly. In fact, I was able to “touch base” with people I had not communicated with in a long time. They were cheery communications, with very kind and sympathetic people. Not one harsh jest or criticism.
God began to use my lost address book as an upside-down object lesson.
Jesus himself said,
“You will not find your life until you lose it.”
I discovered that many of the “old” connections with people were long past being relevant. Some of the people had actually been deceased for years. I found that the kind friends and family who responded to my e-mail were concerned about me and what I was doing, and several began interactions that we had missed for years.
A recent devotional reading stated:
“Any good gardener knows that beautiful roses require careful pruning. Pieces of living plant have to die. It cannot just grow wild” (From “Spirituality in Ministry,” by Urban T. Holmes. Taken from, “A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, edited by Ruben Job and Norman Shawchuck)
I began to think about all of the long-held, leftover, comfortable parts of my life and heart that perhaps need some careful (or, maybe, brutal!) pruning. I needed to particularly re-think habits and routines that might be keeping me from some adventure and usefulness that God has for me.
It’s Christmas card time again, and I am starting afresh with a completely new list. I am celebrating Advent without all of the old and tired routines, but with a fresh and excited anticipation of what new things God will bring about in this next new year.