January and February. These seem to be months that many of us would rather skip. The weather is bad, and there are few really good holidays. Football season ends, and baseball is still months away. It can be a drab time of year. They even made February the shortest month of the year, after a Gallup poll showed that it was the least favorite, back in the year 1236. (Well, that might be inaccurate, but it sounds good.)

This year, February brings with it an extra day. 2012 is a leap year, so we get a 2/29 this time through the calendar. I wonder what you might use that extra day for. Just imagine, an extra 24 hours that you haven’t had for the past three years…what are you going to do with it?

Here are some ideas. You could: try out a new recipe, go ice skating, buy something nice for yourself, rent 12 movies and have your own private one-day film festival, read a book, catch up on sleep, go for a walk, try snowboarding, write a letter to a friend, change the oil in your car, read up on all the presidential candidates and decide whom to vote for, build a birdhouse, take a long bubble bath, learn a song, brew some coffee and see if you can stay awake for the ENTIRE Leap Day, surf the internet, get a new pair of shoes, make all of your Christmas gift returns, plan out what you’re going to do in March, balance your checkbook, book your summer vacation, or practice tying shoes one handed, just for fun. These are just some of the things that you might be able to get done this year with the extra day in February.

Of course, you could probably do all of those things on any other day. And you could probably come up with a list of things you would rather do any day of the year than the activities I’ve listed above. But think about this: what if we really did treat this year as though we had an extra day? One free day to do something you’ve never done before. What would you do? 

I wonder if, during these dreary days of January and February, we each could try to do something in the name of Christ that we’ve never done. Maybe you could visit someone who’s lonely, or buy lunch for someone who’s hungry. Maybe you could help a child with a school project, or volunteer with a local charity. Maybe you could prepare a meal for someone who’s been unwell. Maybe you could call someone who’s been down about something. 

Maybe you could come up with something even better.

Maybe, you could use this extra day to share the love of Christ in a real way.

In the long run, it is not really going to feel like we have an extra day, unless your birthday is February 29. But we could make some day this winter special for someone. Why don’t we all try to do something for someone, just to share God’s love in a way that cannot be missed? Wouldn’t that make January or February just a little brighter? I know God has blessed you and me. Let’s see if we can be a blessing for someone else. 

See you on Sunday,

Pastor Eric