Rootedness

... and I'm not sure what it is about Christmas, maybe it's the traditions and rituals that we hold and practice, but something about this time of year brings me back to my roots.

The past several Christmases have been particularly challenging for our family (you can read more about that you here if you wish). I miss our son dearly. Life doesn't seem the same (or fair or good) with him gone. While Christmas is supposed to be the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year" I have found it to be many years of late the most dark time of year. And not just because the sun hides its warm face from the Pacific Northwest.

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Rootedness for me during this season brings to my Christian faith. Maybe faith or spirituality isn't your thing. Maybe it was but you've moved on. Regardless, we are all a people rooted in something.

Family. Friends. Brotherhood. Sisterhoods. Community. Race. Food. Drink. Relationships. Sex. Careers. Hobbies. Passions. Leisure. Commitments. Sacrifice. Love. Faith.

Whatever we are rooted in, we need to stop and consider what it is that has brought us to where we are.

Who are we becoming? What is shaping us? Do we like what we see?

For me I follow a man who lived and died in the early first century and who gave His life to give new life to His followers. A life marked by receiving and giving grace. If I'm honest I don't like what I see when I look in the mirror.

I'm not a gracious person. I don't often seek the betterment of others, and if I do it's not always for pure motives. The Christian church is not the grace-filled shining beacon that people in this world so desperately need. Often it is filled with hate and duplicity.

Both of these truths grieve me deeply.

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Thinking about what our roots are and what motivates us, we could easily talk about design. This is Dwell after all! ;)

Every designer is rooted in something and driven by something. Some are in it for the glory and fame that are are all too short-lived. Others are rooted in desires to be a part of creating a better world.

Why do we wake up every day and create? What holds us back from creating things of fuller and deeper potential?

These questions aren't always easy to face. But they are necessary if we would move forward.

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Christmas can be a wonderful time of year. The sense of nostalgia is powerful, even intoxicating at times. Amidst the aromas of evergreen needles, warm fires, cocoa, egg nog, and family dinners, let us endeavor to not walk through these traditions unchanged.

Let us never forget who we are aiming to become in the midst of our traditions, and let us never forget our sacred roots as we step into tomorrow desiring to see change and new life.

Merry Christmas