— It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
I love this time of year. I am filled with the holiday spirit and love sitting in front of the fire, binge watching the Hallmark Channel and watching the lights flicker on the Christmas tree. My decorations have been up since the first part of November, but the cool weather is just the icing on the cake.
I have to remind myself to not let the busyness of the season impact the JOY that we should all feel. I wonder if this year will give us that opportunity since Covid has slowed things down. I know I am enjoying the less stressful feel to the holidays. I will really enjoy it when the office closes on the 18th.
Although there’s not much we can do to slow down the pace of the season, we don’t have to rush it either. We can intentionally set time aside to appreciate the beauty and meaning of the season and to remember what it is that we are celebrating. That might mean stopping and finding some quiet time. I find it interesting that in the time we should be closest to God, thanking Him for what He did all those years ago by sending His son to this earth, we are the most stressed and busy. When our minds are clouded with responsibilities and checklists, we find ourselves far from God. In order to draw near to Him, we must continually prioritize Him – especially in our busy seasons because that’s when it is easy to lose sight of Him.
Don’t lose sight of the reason we are celebrating. Find time to read the Christmas story in the different gospels, find times for daily devotions, find time for talking to your Savior. When we do, we put Christ back in Christmas.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).