There's nothing new about the reality the statement that "every minute matters," but some mornings the clock ticks in a way that makes you keenly aware of this truth.

How long you take drying your hair, how long it takes to pick out clothes, routine tasks become stealers of minutes that often pass unnoticed.

Unexpected things like a missing PD certification form that sent me hunting online for thirty minutes until I could recover it pushed my morning ahead quickly, causing me to move in a robotic fast motion, a speed I lived in for way too long and a speed I do not miss.

Now, the clock is screaming, "You need to be on the road in 12 minutes, heading to your appointment in Ashland.  Don't be late."

And I breathe and think, "WAIT!"

I refuse to let these few minutes slip by wastefully.

So I wanted to share a little something I discovered this morning when reading in Genesis.

I was caught by the words that Jacob said to Joseph on his death bed.  He requested that his body be taken back to Canaan to be buried after he died and told Joseph of the great sorrow he had experienced when he had been forced to bury Rachel on the road to Ephrath (which is Bethlehem).

My mind is fascinated with the thought that Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, was right there in the midst of all of these Old Testament stories.  I wonder if Mary and Joseph ever told the story of their ancestors to Jesus and said, "And Rachel was buried very near your birthplace."

I wonder if Jesus grinned as he heard them talk about Canaan and how important it was to the Israelites.  How it was their Promised Land.

And I just wonder if he ever talked to Mary and explained things more clearly so that she understood a little bit more about what was going to happen in the future than we get to read in Scriptures.

Today, we are all on a journey to the Promised Land, aren't we?

Christmas is a wonderful time, but let's don't die near Bethlehem, simply embracing the story of Jesus' birth.

Let's push on toward Easter and grasp the power of the resurrection!

Today, let every minute matter.

Each of them leads us forward toward Canaan.

Thankful for each of you,