21 Days to Christmas.  Friday, Dec 4, 2020

“Did I Learn Anything?

Thank God it’s a Friday in Christmas!  How wonderful, right?  Fridays in Christmas are the best!  And guess what?  Three weeks from today is Christmas Day!  How wonderful, right?

Well, maybe not.  It’s only wonderful for those who love Christmas, have their shopping under control, are not quarantined with the Grinch, and have not dared to taste last year’s fruit cake, which was sent from your favorite family member last Christmas and you found it this week, still wrapped in the original cellophane.

It’s a little amusing how much I’ve learned and changed during the last year.  I write about the dreaded fruit cake every year, and, again, I sat down this year to write a devotion playing on the yuckiness of the fruitcake.  But as I read the words, I began to think how much I would have loved to receive that fruitcake last year.  Just think, at the beginning of the 2020 quarantines, the fruitcake would have been worth its weight in gold.  Empty store shelves would have been a non-concern if we had a 3-month old fruitcake available.  It could’ve sustained a family of four for at least a month.  I can’t believe it.  I’m actually defending the dreaded fruit cake, which I used to avoid even more than meatloaf.  

When my children were young, I spent a lot of time running carpool.  I picked them up from school most days, and when they’d hop into the car, I’d ask them the same question, “Did you learn anything today?”

When they were little, they’d usually say “Yes” to my question, and then they would tell me about something they learned.  However, as the years would pass, the joy of learning something was replaced by grunts and unpleasant sounds to the same question.

This year, I’m asking myself if I learned anything.  The answer is “Yes.”  I have a new appreciation for a lot of things, even the dreaded fruit cake.  Maybe you’ve discovered that you have a new appreciation for something as well.  If you feel so inclined to tell me about something you’ve learned or newly appreciated, you’re invited to put it in the comments below or message me (revbrock@longboatislandchapel.org).  But if not, I understand…just do one favor for me.  Thank God for it and pay attention to God’s response.  You’ll have learned at least one more thing today. 

I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. (Psalm 143:5, ESV).