>Our culture is so busy. Expectations are so high. Holidays
seem to magnify everything. Holidays in themselves are not the problem. God set
up days for Israel to remember. They were holy days. (See where we got
holidays, and perhaps went wrong). Holy is set apart, different, special. The
days were to remember Him, His goodness, His deliverance, and His promises.
It is so easy today to get wrapped up in the preparations,
the presentations, and appearances. If you go to the store, look at magazines,
get on Pintrest everyone seems to have better ideas and everything more
together. Do you post your every reality online or do you post your best? Most
everyone is posting their best for you to compare to.
I have a challenge for myself this holiday season. You are
welcome to share it. See I wrote this book called Christmas is About Jesus. I wrote it because I believe it’s true.
Yet every year after the black and orange and skeletons finally leave the
stores, replaced with the sparkle and lure of Christmas I get discouraged. I
have some ideal so deep inside I don’t even know what all it involves about
Christmas. I want a big tree, I want peace, and I want fun, baking, games, and
gifts treasured by the receivers. In there I also want the perfect house and
quiet conversations on the couch lit only by the peaceful white lights on the
tree. None of these things I want are wrong. Somehow without me knowing they
become too important. Looking at the decorations in the stores or on Pintrest
fill me with a miserable longing and feeling of failure. I have to ask myself,
“If Christmas is about Jesus why am I affected so much by decorations?”
So my challenge is to do with my holidays what I have
started doing with every day. I’m asking God what is important to Him. What
does he want me to get done? Of course the top of the list is remembering His
deliverance and blessings. How will I do that this year? I’ve only started
asking.
In past years I’ve
done different things: choosing to express thanks for each decoration display I
see, enjoying the beauty where I see it. Asking the children what is important
to them and getting it scheduled.
This year I think my method has been to avoid. Not a good
choice. So I will take my challenge and plan my holidays with God this year. He
doesn’t care what I do or don’t make for dinner or from scratch. He has no
requirements on how extensively or simply my home is decorated. He wants me to
prepare my heart. Do I cherish the gifts He gave me in Jesus so long ago? Do I
cherish the gifts he has placed in my home that I - theoretically at least - would
be trying to make Christmas so special for?
I challenge myself and you to have holy days this year instead
of just holidays.
How can you simplify?
What is not realistic this year?
What will you do to remember, recall, and recite?
Ask God, your husband and children what matters most to
them, you may be surprised.
Woman to Woman Ministries presents the Christmas Blessing Giveaway! Join thirty-two bloggers for ideas and advice
on how to remain peaceful in a stressful season.
In addition to sweet
encouragement on keeping the peace in your home and heart, we are giving away a
blessing of $320 in PayPal cash. The
winner will have the money transferred to their PayPal account where they can
use it for Christmas celebrations, groceries, bills, whatever they need. To enter to win simply complete all of the
tasks in the rafflecopter below.
Participating Blogs…Please help
support these wonderful bloggers!
1.
Woman to Woman Ministries http://www.w2wministries.org/
2.
Sweet Blessings http://www.jenifermetzger.org/
3.
Treasures Found in Him http://www.debibaker.org/
4.
Leaving a Legacy http://www.leavingalegacyblog.net/
5.
Kelly Martin Stories http://www.kellymartinstories.com/
6.
Happy Little Homemaker http://www.happylittlehomemaker.com/
7.
The Encouraging Home http://www.theencouraginghome.com/
8.
Christian Women's Voice http://christianwomensvoice.org/
9.
Beautiful in Him http://www.allisonjonmorrison.blogspot.com/
10.
A Simple Life, Really?! http://asimplelifereally.blogspot.com/
11.
Managing Your Blessings http://www.managingyourblessings.com/
12.
Thankful Homemaker http://thankful-homemaker.blogspot.com/
13.
For Unmarried Christian Women http://www.for-unmarried-christian-women.com/
14.
The Chuppies http://thechuppies.com/
15.
Homemaker by Choice http://www.homemakerbychoice.net/
16.
Leaving a Legacy http://angietolpin.com/
17.
Love, Friendship, & All Things
Girly http://www.bethanyjett.com/
18.
Simply Audra Marie http://www.audrasilva.com/
19.
Young Wife's Guide http://youngwifesguide.com/
20.
A Biblical Marriage http://abiblicalmarriage.com/
21.
Becoming a Strong Woman of God http://www.becomingastrongwomanofgod.com/
22.
Unmarried http://www.unmarriedmovie.com/
23.
CSAHM http://csahm.com/
24.
Renewing Housewives http://www.renewinghousewives.com/
25.
Mothers on Mission http://mothersonmission.org/
26.
Awakened Anew http://awakenedanew.com/
27.
The Father Knows Best http://www.thefatherknowsbest.com/
28.
Our Simple Farm http://www.oursimplefarm.com/
29.
So You Call Yourself a Homeschooler http://www.soyoucallyourselfahomeschooler.com/
30.
Getting It Right - Occasionally http://www.gettingitright-occasionally.blogspot.com/
31.
Only A Breath http://www.onlyabreath.com/
32.
Kove's Blog http://www.kovesblog.blogspot.com/
Christmas Blessing
Giveaway Rules:
No purchase
necessary. Must be 18 to enter. Void where prohibited by law. This giveaway is in no way sponsored,
endorsed, or associated by Facebook. By
entering this giveaway, you agree to release Facebook, Woman to Woman
Ministries and all participating blogs of all liability. Contest ends at 12:01am EST on Tuesday,
December 11, 2012. Winner is randomly
chosen by Rafflecopter and will be emailed on December 11, 2012, then funds
will be transferred to winner's PayPal account.
