Wow, I can't believe that Christmas is rapidly approaching. Today we had snow...yeah, I am not loving the idea of winter. So, with Christmas comes the ever popular shopping nightmare and the equally wonderful...how am I going to pay for this meltdown. And if we are lucky, in the midst of all of this we might remember Jesus...you remember Him, the actual reason for the celebration. Now would be a good time to start preparing to stay focused on Christ and not the commercialism of this season because if you don't prepare...you will inevitably get sucked into all of the crazy.
Now some of you are wondering why I am writing about Christmas when it is only November...great question. Truthfully it is because I am just writing down my own rambling thoughts as I sit at my computer and that is just what went through my head. Another thought that has occurred to me is that we usually bypass one of the best holidays that should turn our hearts to the Lord and that is Thanksgiving. Between the ever popular Halloween and Christmas comes Thanksgiving...for those of you who have forgotten.
I love Philippians 4:6-7...it says this. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
God tells us in His word to not be anxious about anything...the economy, gas prices, whose the president or the craziness of this season...but with THANKSGIVING...pray. With a thankful heart....PRAY! And God tells us that He will give us His peace to guard our hearts and minds.
Don't overlook Thanksgiving...if we celebrate it first, and come to the Lord with thanksful hearts in prayer...He can keep us peaceful and focused on the right things during the entire holiday season.
2 comments:
Hey Ann-
Yes, great point. I feel the same way every Christmas with the shopping, and paying for the shopping, and WHY again am I worrying about all this shopping? I find I am constantly having to remind the girls that Christmas is about Jesus and on Thanksgiving we remember how Thankful we are for all that God has given. Meanwhile we are surrounded by family who think that the holiday is in fact about the shopping! UGH! Well, we will just have to persevere!
We are in this together! Hope you have had a productive retreat!
Brooke
What a great point you've made. It is so easy to fall into the chaos of the holiday season and be swept away from the true meaning. I love the way you talk about things. You always make me laugh, but when it comes down to it, you really make me think and check myself. We all need that sometimes (probably more often than we'd like to admit) and you do it in a gentle, yet effective way. You have definitely been blessed with a gift that blesses others and I'm sure that this holiday season, when things get a little crazy, I'll stop and remember what you've said here. Thanks, you've just given me something else to be thankful for at Thanksgiving this year. God bless!
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