Dead Trees and Burnt Out Lights

I'm trying to finish taking down my Christmas decorations today. It seems I'm last in the neighborhood this year. Even my next door neighbor (who's always late at taking her stuff down) has beat me this year. It's just hard to do. There's just no excitement in it- it all fizzled out!

We're always a little later at getting our stuff up than our neighbors. Seems like Thanksgiving hits and everyone's racing to beat the other guy to get their stuff up. We usually wait until at least the first or second week of December. Then it's running around every night to light the lights in the windows, on the porch, on the mantel, and of course the tree. In the beginning, the tree gets lots and lots of water. This year, Rod went to water it one day and it immediately spilled on the floor; I had just watered it. Then things seem to taper off a bit. We forget to light the lights one night or more likely, we forget to turn them off. Then they burn all day and, well, we might as well leave them on- it'll be dark soon. That's probably why I need new lights on my porch garlands next year!

It occurred to me as I unwound the burnt out lights from the porch garlands how similar our personal relationships with Christ can be to all of this. How when things are exciting we can stay in tune, how we pray, study, sing, how all of life can be about Him and our relationship. And how once the pattern sets in, the novelty wears off, we can forget, get bored, and simply careless. And maybe I'm only talking about myself.

When I took the tree outside the other day to leave for the garbage pickup, it was bone dry- not a drip of water in the stand. The once full of life, soft needles had become brittle weapons of destruction tearing into my hands and forearms making them bleed. The mess it made was awful- not just the mess on me but on the floor, the porch, the sidewalk...everywhere it went- a mess.

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
- Psalm 1:1-3

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
- John 15:5-8