It is no secret that the holidays are a challenging time of the year. In addition to the responsibilities and worries of everyday life, we now have the added stresses of things like hosting out-of-town guests, decorating the house, cooking and traveling. My personal yuletide woes include the fear of gaining a few holly jolly pounds and the balancing act that is gift giving-- how my mother has managed to find a healthy balance between not going into debt but still giving me the perfect gift will always remain a mystery to me. The holidays can also bring along with them a looming sadness and loneliness; for some of those who have lost family members or loved ones, enduring this time of year is not all jingle bells and heavenly peace. No matter who you are, or what your holiday hardships may be, here are some things God wants us to remember in the midst of all this seasonal stress.
He is with us.
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9
Guess what? When you are in financial turmoil after all your gift shopping, God is with you. When you have to see that relative at your family reunion, God is with you. When you are barely surviving the first Christmas you have had to spend without your Father, God is with you. When it's Christmas day and you still aren't speaking to your children or your parents, God is with you.
We need to trust Him.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."
Proverbs 3:5
No matter how scary things may look, or how impossible something may seem, God has your back, and we need to trust in Him and Him alone. You may have family traveling through harsh winter storm conditions, but you have to believe that God has them in His hands. You may not see how you will be able to afford to put presents under the tree for your children this year, but trust that God as already figured it out on your behalf. You may have a family member in the hospital who isn't doing well but trust in the healing power of God and in the perfection of His will.
He wants us to be generous.
"In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Acts 20:35
It is more blessed to give than to receive? Wow. That is pretty powerful, and I wish I had a heart that believed that to be 100% true, but I am plagued by this world, and find it challenging to be generous, especially when I am already struggling to stay afloat in my own life. But Jesus was generous. Generous with His actions, His miracles, His love, His forgiveness and generous with the sacrifice of His life. Was it easy for Him to be generous with His life when he was suffering on the cross? No. So even when it isn't easy for us, we should strive to be generous, especially during this season when we are celebrating Jesus' life.
We are called to love people.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35
This is one of my favorite bible verses. Here, Jesus points out that the world will know that we are Christians based on the way we love one other. We won't be known as Jesus's disciples by our wealth, by our judgments, by our good works, by the number of times we post on Instagram about a bible study, or by our theological knowledge, but by the way, we just unconditionally love on people. During this hectic time of the year, try to show someone some unconditional love, a friend, a foe, a believer, a non-believer, anyone. Just be a loving light in someone's life, the way Jesus was a loving light in life of every person He encountered.
He gives us peace.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
John 14:27
God doesn't want us to be afraid or troubled, but He wants us to be at peace. Whenever we feel stressed about hosting the in-laws over the holidays or feel overwhelmed with buying Christmas presents, God wants us to cast all of that negative energy on Him, and to fully receive peace around our worries. Being peaceful does to mean evading those responsibilities or ignoring issues, but we experience peace when we fully trust the power of God in our lives and realize that He will give us good things according to His will.
We need to glorify Him in everything.
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
1 Corinthians 10:31
Whatever we do, God wants us to glorify Him. The generosity we show should point to God, not ourselves. The way we give should point to God, not ourselves. Our trust in the Lord should point to God, not ourselves. The peace in our lives should point to God, not ourselves. What better time than the time of Jesus's birth to give all the credit and all of the glory to our Father?
So this month, when you are crumbling under the worries of the season, keep all of these things in mind. Knowing Gods presence, trusting Him with everything, giving like He gave, loving like He loved, receiving His peace and giving Him the glory in everything is a good starter recipe for conquering the trials of "the most wonderful time the year."
