Never have I felt such awe as when I gave birth to my son. At Christmas, I think of Mary and her expectant heart. Mary maintained great expectancy of what God could and would do. Do we maintain such expectancy? What are you expecting God to do this Christmas?
Have you thought about what you will give yourself this holiday season? Generosity is a good thing. I love giving gifts to others during the holidays as well as randomly throughout the year. I take joy in making others feel loved, appreciated, and special! But I’m not as good about giving gifts of love or appreciation to myself. Read on for suggestions of what you can give yourself this holiday season.
Part of what perpetuates our penchant to hide behind a mask, is our inclination to compare ourselves to others. By comparing ourselves to others, we hold ourselves up to the image that they desire for others to see…the public mask they put on display. So we compare ourselves to others who were not given the same personalities, gifts, and talents as we so we will always fall short if we try to measure ourselves against others as our standard. Yet we must align ourselves instead with what we know to be true. The Bible says that we each are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).
I want to be more intentional about living in the moment, practicing gratitude, appreciating how God has uniquely made me, and resting in Him. With an open mind and open heart, I prayerfully embrace all that God has for me in this next year. Will I stumble? I’m sure I will. And when I do, I will give myself grace. Even Paul acknowledged that he was not perfect nor had he fully arrived spiritually, but he continued to run the race, and I will too. The reward is the honor of being called by God. I can’t think of anything better.
There are many who are having a hard time experiencing joy this Christmas. Yet, we ave a home, clothes to wear, food to eat, presents to open. That makes us wealthier than most of the people in the world. But what if we didn’t? What if we didn’t have a home, or a bed to sleep in, or clothes to wear? We would be in good company.
