What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? I would like to say "I yawned and stretched and thought of God and wondered what He had for me today" or "I immediately prayed for my loved ones and that they have the best day ever". No - my first thought was about my exercise tracker! I have been wearing a FitBit tracker for about a year, and I do enjoy it. One of my favorite features is the ability to participate in challenges with other FitBit wearers. The key to participating in those challenges, however, is keeping the unit charged! While my tracker does record my sleep patterns as well, I find that nighttime is the best time to charge my device so that I don't miss out on the races with my friends. I also like to see how much I toss and turn, looking at the little sleep graphs, yet tracking my exercise during the day is more important. Today I have already been back and forth to the coffee pot, built a fire in the fireplace and settled in my chair to read and write and my FitBit is still not on my wrist - I'm losing ground in the daily challenges!! LOL
Sometimes when I forget to charge my little friend before bed I then forget to put it on my wrist in the morning, or I realize it is 10 or 11 o'clock and then I figure I'm so far behind that I won't win the challenges anyway, so why put it on. The main purpose of the device is to track my exercise, for good health. Yet I like to focus on the competition aspect. The first 6 months or so that I wore my tracker I didn't do the challenges at all, so I simply competed against myself and the goals I set. That should be enough! You are probably wondering what in the world does this have to do with advent, God or "why Jesus"?
My Bible has been my emotional and spiritual 'exercise tracker' for many years. Sometimes I leave it closed and sitting on a shelf, other times it is open and ready where ever I am (at this very moment I have 2 Bibles - different translations, a study book and two journals open within arms reach! My 'nest'!) When I keep my equipment ready and close by I do much better in my spiritual fitness, same as my physical exercise. I have become so attached to that little band that I wear on my wrist, that unless I'm wearing it I sometimes don't even bother going for my walk. I want to have that prompt and step count to help me achieve my goals. Same with my Bible and journals, I want to pour out my heart on the pages and then search the Scriptures for a word from God. It is challenging, it prompts me to learn more and it helps me realize that I am not alone in my journey. Just like when I forget to charge my FitBit, when I don't bother to open my Bible and spend time 'recharging' I often find that I go through my day with no purpose. I don't have that reminder of how God is so very present in my life and He wants me to rely on Him. When I focus my mind and actions on serving instead of self-serving my day goes much better.
It's easy in these last 10 days before Christmas to put aside our 'trackers'. To fill our days with last minute preparations that really have nothing to do with the goal of celebrating "why Jesus". My own list has things like bake cookies with the granddaughters, wrap some gifts and plan meals. This morning, after my first thought of "where is my FitBit!?" my next thought was "God, what is my goal and most important thing to do today?" It is the same as every day...... sometimes I just forget to recharge.
Mark 12:30-31 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. The second is equally important, "Love your neighbor as yourself". No other commandment is greater than these.
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