December 4
I started yesterday off with Merry Christmas! And, gee, I want to say it again, Merry Christmas! Today I wanted to talk about preparing for Christmas ~ after all, it is December 4th. There is so much to do and such little time in which to do it. Right!???!
I want you to think about your Christmas “To Do List” and consider it carefully. Why do you feel that you need to do all the things that you have on this list? Are they a family tradition, passed down many generations? Is it something that you enjoyed since your youth and you want your children to experience the same? Is it just how your mom always did it? Or mother in law? What motivates you to make “The List” and force yourself to do it?
Are you stressed out year after year trying to accomplish “The List”? Do this for me, please. Write out your list and at dinner talk with your husband about it and see whether this is really what you want your Christmas to look like. Is there any way of combining jobs? Can you get any friends to help you so it is not so overwhelming? Pray about this as well. God does not want you to be stressed out at Christmas ~ He wants you to be refreshed. Let Him direct your family into a refreshing Christmas Season. Stop trying to make it happen on your own. He does the refreshing. What can you do that isn’t a burden but is rather a blessing to your family?
This is a touchy subject for some people…you do not “mess” with their personal traditions and warm fuzzy memories. And that is not my intent…my intent is for us to do our best and not be stressed…however…if God is urging you to do something different, then obey Him because His ways are best!
Example: deck your halls (house) not stressfully, but joyfully. If you normally experience fighting and frustration during this part of the preparations…then this year pray first. If some members do not want to participate, could it be because they do not like the tension of the task? We put on Christmas movies and deck our halls…yes, we need to stop and pray “during” the task but that is “just going to happen” in a family of 6 sometimes! Let’s do our best to not be stressed!
Philippians 4:6,7 (NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Offer up to God a specific prayer about your “To Do List”. Seek Him for strength, wisdom, direction and peace ~ so that you and your family will have a Merry Refreshing Christmas and not a Frustrating Stressful Christmas. He loves you so much so let’s do our best to not be stressed!
Merry Christmas ~ Laurie Kay
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