Don’t you love Christmas time? It’s the most wonderful time of the year! I love the sounds of Christmas. I love to hear “Merry Christmas” rather than “Happy Holidays!” I love to hear Christmas music, see Christmas movies, hear bells and chimes, and hear Christmas wishes, hopes and dreams.
But I have to admit there is one thing that I hate to hear at Christmas, especially when it comes to buying gifts for my kids. “Some assembly required” NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
My heart actually skips a few beats when I open the box and parts begin to fall out. I start praying “Lord, don’t let there be any missing pieces or a need for a last minute run to the store. It’s Christmas Eve Lord.”
Then the last thing to fall out are the instructions. 50 pages of instructions. In four different languages. Every part is numbered and every slot named. There are even pictures and diagrams. So if I can’t put it together, guess who’s to blame? And who shouldn’t be able to put it together? But there is always something that just doesn’t make complete sense.
You get half way through the assembly and you realize, ”Oh that’s why they didn’t want me to attach this part yet. Because now I have to take it apart and do it over again.”
You work until your fingers are sore and your coffee has gone cold, but you have finally done it. Now it’s time to test it and make sure it works perfectly before you go to bed.
As much as you hated the words “some assembly required,” there’s a few other words that bring the same frustration. Because the only that could ruin this moment are the words, “Batteries not included.” Noooooooooooooooooo!!!!
Assembling toys, just like real life, requires effort. Effort is the word of the day. If anything is worth it and if anything is of value, it is worth the effort.
2 Peter 1:5-8 (NIV) For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This scripture gives us eight qualities that we all need to make every effort to add to our lives each day in order to make life better.