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{when you’re longing for a more peaceful and meaningful christmas}

I’m continuing this series on social media with two more tips:

{3}  Consider exploring this prayer or journaling prompt:  “Jesus, what can I give YOU this Christmas?”

Many years ago, when I was a preschool teacher, one of my favorite projects to do with the kids at Christmas time was “A Gift for Baby Jesus”. We would complete a craft that looked like a Christmas present, then I would ask each of them what they would give to baby Jesus as a gift, and write it for them on the “present”. Their answers were so precious and varied… from a cozy blanket to a warm bottle to a Tyrannosaurus rex toy.

But isn’t this a valid question to ask ourselves this holiday season? He gave us the gift of His life— both 33 years as a living example of faith and obedience AND a generous life-giving sacrifice on the cross. While we are daily working on yielding our lives to Him in return, why not consider giving Him something that He wants from us in this season?

I hesitate to give you examples, because I want you to leave room for the incredibly simple or off-the-wall surprise or painfully hard thing He might whisper to you. I don’t know what Jesus might want from you this Christmas, but I do know this— you will experience more peace and joy when you offer this thing to Him.

Jesus, show me if there is anything that You are longing to receive from me. Open my awareness to understand what this might be. Help me to listen for Your answer, rather than making assumptions. Don’t let me fear what the request might be, for You are good and will only ask for what will produce good in my life. Give me the willingness to follow through on it. May this experience draw me closer to You and increase my faith in You. Amen.

 

{4} Release the desire or pressure to make everything ideal for the people in your life.

This is something I struggle with— making others happy to the detriment of my own emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. I’ve had to repeatedly lay down the desire to find that gift that will really make someone happy. Honestly, is there anything I could wrap up and give to someone to give them lasting happiness? It’s only Jesus, and living a life of faith & trust in Him, that will bring joy that truly satisfies.

There are also people in our lives who will never be happy, no matter what we do for them. Then there are all the things we think we “should” do during the holidays because they are required or expected. How many traditions are we keeping up that are draining us, and might not be missed if we let them go?

How concerned are we with perfection? We want the house to look perfect, the gifts to be perfect, and the event to unfold perfectly. What if you are wearing yourself out unnecessarily?

Beloved, you are not responsible for the happiness of others this Christmas.

Lord, it’s Your season. It’s about You. Turn my eyes toward You and the wonder of Your birth. Show me where You want me to conserve energy and resources. Open my eyes to see what expectations or unfruitful traditions You are calling me to let go of this year. While I am quiet right now before You Lord, show me where I can shift my energy into worship, rest, and connecting with others. I want to experience Your joy and peace. I want to walk in freedom this Christmas. I release the happiness of others to You, Lord. I specifically release _____ to You. Guide my steps as I move through the rest of this season. Open up my awareness of Your presence so that I can consciously walk with You each day.  Amen.

I’ve got more tips that I’ll share next week.

Merry Christmas,

 

p.s. if you missed the first two tips, you can read them here.

By Posted on Posted in Christmas, newsletter No Comments

{when you’re longing for a more peaceful and meaningful Christmas}

I started a holiday series on social media, sharing tips for making this month a bit more peaceful and meaningful. Here are the first two tips:

{1} Start an advent devotional!  It’s not too late to start–just continue into January.

All of the shopping, decorating, gift wrapping, baking, and holiday scheduling can increase our Christmas joy—but it can also steal it! The season often feels overwhelming and stressful.  If you’ve never tried an Advent devotional, I highly recommend it this year to get your heart engaged with the spiritual meaning of Christmas. It’s helpful to have daily encouragement to realign your focus and guide you through the day.

There are endless choices on Amazon, with many advent devotions priced under $10. There are also plenty of options that can be downloaded online. You can find free devotionals from Focus on the Family, Billy Graham, Desiring God, and many more websites!  Try a Google search with “free advent devotional 2023”. If you prefer to simply read through all of the Bible passages pertaining to Christmas, you can find reading plans on most Bible websites or apps.

It’s so easy to jump on my phone first thing in the morning and start checking emails, online shopping, returning texts, or just scrolling mindlessly. I’ve committed to keeping the first part of my day phone-free this month so that I have time for my cup of tea, devotional + Bible reading, and time to talk to God.  I’m taking this season one day at a time so I can experience the joy and peace I know He wants for me!

{2} Set aside time to meditate on the birth of Jesus by imagining yourself there in the stable with Him!

Our imaginations are created by God and can be led by the Holy Spirit to engage with the Lord in powerful ways. Trust me on this. The kind of visualization I’m suggesting is not manifesting or letting the imagination of your flesh run wild.  I’m talking about picturing yourself in a time and place with Jesus or the Father and then letting the Holy Spirit guide the interaction.

I’ve had some precious moments in my mind’s eye, walking with our resurrected Jesus on the beach… touching the scars in His hands, leaning into His embrace, and letting Him speak a word of scripture to me. All of this happened in my imagination while I was singing a worship song in church on a Sunday morning. I implore you to give it a try if you’ve not experienced a moment like this with Jesus!

Years ago, the Lord gave me a visual image in my mind of baby Jesus lying in His manger bed. He spoke to me so powerfully, yet tenderly, through the imagery I saw in my imagination and some whispers from His heart.  I wrote about this experience on my blog in 2013 and have shared it a few times. But this year, the Lord urged me to record it as a guided meditation and share it with you all!

I’ve added it to my podcast as a bonus episode. It’s just under 15 minutes and I think you will be blessed (and possibly undone) by what God gave me to share. Here is a link to find the podcast on your favorite platform: Pressing In Podcast

Merry Christmas, friend. May you meet Jesus in a fresh new way this season.

 

 

p.s. I’ll be sharing more tips leading up to Christmas!

By Posted on Posted in Christmas, God's leading, Holidays, schedules No Comments

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the holiday season? Last year, I waited too long to decorate and start planning. The season went by so fast that I struggled to feel joyful and present. This year, I’d like things to go differently! Are you with me?

Let’s start by praying together: 

Lord, would you begin preparing my heart for the holidays? I want to have a plan and be prepared, so that I don’t feel overwhelmed. Show me how to be intentional, creating meaningful moments of thanksgiving and spiritual reflection. Help me to be a good steward, spending within my means and not creating unnecessary debt. Change my perspective to focus on honoring you, rather than trying to make others happy. In Jesus' name, amen. 

Whipping up a to-do list and schedule might come easy for some of us. However, I sense that we need the Lord to show us how to proceed.

Let’s consider a few questions:

  • What is God calling me to this holiday season?
  • What do I want to experience during the holidays?
  • What do I need to let go of this season?
  • How do I want to feel when the holidays are over?

I recommend doing some journaling. When I spent time putting pen to paper, I realized that what I am longing for is a more meaningful holiday season, and I feel strongly that God is calling me in that direction. When the holidays are over, I want to feel like I used my time, energy, and money for memorable and spiritually significant experiences with my loved ones. I need to let go of things that don’t meet my “meaningful” criteria.

The awareness we gain from thoughtfully and prayerfully answering the questions above will help us decide what we want to do during the upcoming season, and what we want to say no to. My mistake last year was waiting too long to get “in the mood” and then taking on too many things with the little time and energy that I had. I realize that without some intentional prayer and planning, I will likely repeat last year’s holiday experience.

So what now?

Download my free Holiday Planning Guide with more prayer and journal prompts (the questions above are just a sample). Allow what God shows you through seeking Him and writing to set the tone for the holidays. Use the goals or criteria that come from your reflection to guide your decisions.

Check-in with your family. Let them know what you’ve decided about the holidays. Find out what really matters to them so that you are not spending energy on things that aren’t valuable.

What did you need help with last year? Start asking for help or delegating now. If you can’t get help, then maybe the event or tradition isn’t worth it. Keep in mind that children and teenagers are capable of helping and might even benefit from having some duties for the holidays!

Begin putting important events on your calendar. Remember that we are only scheduling things that meet our holiday criteria. We’re saying no to things that don’t. We’re saying no to non-essential things that stressed and drained us last year.

Set reminders so that time does not get away from you. I made a list of my holiday priorities and created weekly reminders in my phone’s calendar for each of them. I chose to create my reminders on Sunday afternoons because I know it’s a consistently unscheduled and unhurried time of the week. I like the pace of having to think about only one or two holiday tasks a week.

You can download my FREE Holiday Planning Guide with prayer and journal prompts, tips for establishing priorities, plus a sample planning schedule to help you get organized and enjoy the holidays without stress. It’s my gift to you when you subscribe to this blog! I recommend that you get started before September is over to really enjoy the upcoming season! Subscribe here.

Here’s to a prayerful, joyful, and meaningful holiday season!