Do you hear that? Everywhere we go this month, we hear catchy traditional music that makes us hum and want to sing along. We see beautiful, sparkling decorations that twinkle and catch our eye. The feeling of Christmas is in the air—the one time of year we set aside to celebrate the birth of our Savior and focus on that miracle that changed our lives and altered history forever. A time of year so special that even the people who don’t believe, are celebrating with us. They say it’s the most wonderful time of the year. As a child, we are filled with such anticipation to celebrate. Eagerly waiting for the special morning. And yet, somehow, even as believers, as we grow into adulthood and get worn by life, we start to lose focus.
I honestly believe this happens for multiple reasons. We start to feel the pressures of society to hit that bar of expectation at Christmas time. We get busy. We’re going through life at such a rapid speed that we feel out of control. Our finances are on our mind. We want the best for our small children and we are willing to sacrifice ourselves and our sanity to give them what we “think” is the best Christmas ever. Some have lost loved ones and are trying to figure out how to feel joy and celebrate this Christmas when they feel so much loss. College students are exhausted from working so hard during first semester. They’re just ready to take a deep breath and rest. Empty nesters are struggling to make it feel like Christmas again when the house seems so quiet and traditions are shifting. Life can grab our emotions and our minds and pull our focus away. Before we know it, Christmas is over and we never took a single moment to really enjoy what this holiday is all about.
As we enter into this month, I want to encourage you to refocus with me. Let's agree to slow down for a minute and really embrace what's important. Not how many presents are under the tree, not the pressure to have matching pajamas for the whole family, or spending so much energy on making sure you have the best and most organized Christmas cards with matching stamps. Just breathe. This is a time to focus on what's important. God sent His Son to be born in a stable for you and for me. What amazing love! Let’s focus on the love of our Heavenly Father. Focus on our prayer life and talking to God. Express to him how thankful we are for what we have. Let’s thank him for our families, our friends, our freedom and the air we breathe. When we take the time to slow down, fill our minds with thankful thoughts and refocus on what's important, we push away thoughts of fear, anxiety and hopelessness. Let‘s be intentional about our thoughts this Christmas. Let's find true joy again, the joy we felt as a child—knowing that our father will take care of every single need we have. Imagine it: pure excitement, joy and anticipation instead of stress, fear and exhaustion. That sounds ideal to me! After all, this IS the most wonderful time of the year.
-Nikki