Make beauty a priority--and MAKE BEAUTY--this Advent

Happy New Year to all of you beginning the new liturgical year during this first week of Advent! Much like the beginning of the calendar year, Advent offers an amazing opportunity to step back and reflect on our lives, our focuses, and our priorities. Where was your heart in 2018? Where did your passions lead you? And how can you do better in this new year? What are you being called to in 2019?

I'd like to make a gentle suggestion.

YOU ARE BEING CALLED TO CREATE BEAUTY.

Okay, so not so gentle. Sorry about the all-caps yelling there. It's not personal--I write what I need to hear in these blog posts, and I often need someone to yell nice and loud to get my attention off the floors I need to vacuum and the dirty dishes in the sink.

Especially as Christmas approaches, so many things vie for my attention. The housework, as always. The local newspapers are busting with opportunities to attend concerts and caroling and tree-lightings...all of which are lovely, good things. But I've learned that those lovely opportunities are like sugar in my tea: a little bit brings out the flavor, but too much ruins it, leaving me temporarily exhilarated and subsequently drained.

As I reflect on this new liturgical year and how I want to spend it, I am trying to focus on two ideas seemingly at odds:

In my work, DON'T LET THE PERFECT BE THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD. (The fear of failing to live up to my ideals often freezes me into never beginning.)

But in how I choose to spend my time, DON'T LET SMALL GOODS CROWD OUT THE BEST THINGS.

How many hours of my life have I spent watching movies because they are well-crafted and entertaining and I think they'll be restful after a stressful day? More than I want to admit here. All the research shows that watching movies or television is far less restful than we think it will be. On the contrary, doing something creative allows our minds to truly rest, boosts the production of serotonin in our bodies (think: good mood hormone), and leaves us with a feeling of accomplishment.

More importantly, being creative will leave the world with something beautiful that wasn't there before. And once it leaves the realm of your mind and your hands, what amazing things might come from it? How many lives might your beautiful work touch?

If you have an ear for it, you'll hear this call to create beauty more than usual in the Advent season. I'm always impressed by how people who run screaming from the idea of being creative 99% of the year will, without fail, tie on an apron every Advent to make Christmas cookies with their children. And that's wonderful! Christmas cookies are excellent. By all means, bake up several dozen and spread the Kingdom of God with Christmas cookies. Give some to your neighbors and coworkers with a little note of good will, and you've brought that much more love into the world. Bring light into the darkness one tray of chocolate crinkles at a time.

But don't stop there. Listen to that voice and decide this is the year to make most of your gifts instead of buying them. Respond to that ache in your heart and write a poem or a song or a blog post praising Our Infant Lord. Dust off your neglected guitar and learn the chords to Silent Night. Paint some Jesse tree ornaments with your children while discussing the drama of our Salvation.

On a practical note, stay out of the stores as much as you can. Stay away from commercials on television that will almost certainly tell you what you should be focusing on right now (Hey, have you bought your husband that Lexus yet to tell him you really love him?) and will almost certainly be wrong. Spend a few extra dollars to have groceries delivered so you have more time to create. Spend a few extra minutes planning so you can run out and do errands less often. Read a book aloud to your children instead of turning on the television. If you feel burned out, don't watch a movie--go for a walk or take a nap to truly refresh yourself. (I'm yelling at myself in all-caps in my head right now.)

Sing. Draw. Cook. Dance. Make.

Bring God to the world this year as only you can.