In Case You Didn't Get a Christmas Card

You must keep choosing truth or the rest of it is pointless…

I have a membership to the Art Institute of Chicago—going on two years now. A friend said I should, and a few months later, I did. It’s not because I love art or really old furniture. It’s because everyone needs a place. A place of refuge to sort out the truth from the lies. A place to read and journal in peace but not too much peace. A place to be inspired. In Seattle, it was Three Tree Point. In Chicago, it’s the Art Institute. Very different, but for me, very much the same.

I was there last week. The strangers wait in line, but I walk right in. They have a member lounge with free coffee and tea. During the months of November and December, there is also hot chocolate. I like to roam the floors before I head to lounge. I people watch and listen in on foreign tongues.  

Eventually I find my place at the bar sipping cocoa and staring at a wall. I read a bit to set the mood, and then I sit back and wonder about my life. This particular day, I review my past year. Highlights. Lowlights. Mostly lowlights. Mostly because I made them that way. I spend the rest of my time thinking about Earl Palmer and my week in Oxford studying C.S.Lewis. I’ve spent days thinking about this particular week. Something about it.

C.S. didn’t become a Christian until he was 32. He didn’t get married until he was 58. He didn’t fall in love until 59. He was frequently depressed and often poor—giving away most of his money. But, the man had friends. Good friends. And he was a good friend—the best I’ve ever heard of. He was patient in his life but always seeking. He was mellow.

I’ve been feeling that way a lot lately. Mellow. I think it’s because I know I’m going to keep changing, keep seeking, keep making decisions, and then keep changing my mind. I am not putting my weight down on any one place or job or person. I finally understand that the Gospel allows me to be free of that pressure. When I put my weight down on truth, it makes sense out of everything. It illuminates all the scenes I’ve already seen and pulls them together. It makes everything else settle down. It allows me to be mellow.

How thankful I am for this truth. It is where life begins and anxiety dissolves.

May you find a bit of truth this season in whatever form it’s delivered. You can never quite guess.