I do decorate a tree. I do put up some snow men I really love at Christmas time. I am a Holy ghost filled born again Christian woman and yes I do love Christmas! I do not bow to or honor any pagan gunk I simply love that many times people are nicer this time of year; more ready to smile willing to greet you and say “Merry Christmas.”
When I was younger and sometimes even when I was older I would get way too stressed out at Christmas time. I’m not sure if any men get stressed (maybe when they see the bank account diminishing) but for the most part it’s usually women that get stressed out at Christmas time if someone is going to! Why? Because it’s on us to make it happen!
If money is no object: it’s not so stressful I’m sure. but if you are broke wow …..and if you have kids with big expectations? Double wow!
I”ve had some marvelous Christmas’s I’ve had some very hard ones; I just feel led to reach out to you today and say this: GOD CAN and will restore your Christmas Spirit if you ask him! I had a friend tell me this year she was praying for me to have Christmas Spirit.
She didn’t have any for quite awhile after her husband suddenly passed away. I have prayed for her constantly over the past few years and I will say her loss caused me to treasure my own husband even more: and notice his faults ‘even less” because her traumatic loss was a reminder to me how quickly life on earth can suddenly end.
Christmas is a time of wishes and hoping they come true. Whether it’s wishing to see family; wishing for gifts or wishing for a marvelous dinner like Tiny Tim had after scrooge got his scolding from the ghostly visitors: People tend to have unmet expectations at Christmas. Usually the response to this is huge disappointments and so “WE” either wind up finding something to be thankful for or we wind up huffy!
Well I’ve gotten Huffy; disappointed: THE PRESSURE of Christmas (for mostly women) brings out the best or the worst of us it seems. I want to point out when Water is Roaring through a broken; damaged or faulty pipe system the pipe will break! Bad it broke: good you found out you need some new plumbing! So my contention is this: Are we going to let our leaky plumbing upset the whole day? Or ask God to make us all new inside? We have the choice you know. That’s what being a Christian is all about; being made new (year after year after year) and if we are going forward in our growing; I dare say we will like ourselves a whole lot more. if we like ourselves more: it’s going to show and people will want what we have. Then The spirit of Evangalism can truly happen!
PS: Let your Christmas be Merry and bright! Let God shine (upon you) his glorious light! and let’s not have a Martha Stewart Christmas; not if striving for perfection makes you feel unhappy. Better to rejoice with a crust of bread than have feasting with strife! amen?
With Love:
Laura Grace (author)
gracetogrowdaily 