It’s Christmas week! How are you doing? Are you enjoying the season? Are you frazzled and stressed about all the things that “must” be done? Maybe your heart is dreading the emptiness of waking up on Christmas morning without a loved one. Maybe you’re experiencing a mixture of all three! Christmas brings out a myriad of emotions… it makes me tired just thinking about it! Here are some ideas to help you navigate the week:

• Don’t neglect your daily time with the Lord. It’s easy for me to crowd God out during this week. How crazy is that? Christmas is supposed to be about celebrating our Savior’s birth and yet I pass Him by on my way to Christmas parties, Christmas baking and Christmas wrapping… hmmm…something is wrong with that picture.
• During your daily conversations with Him, ask God what He wants you to do that day and what things you can cross off the list. I’m continually amazed by the things He encourages me to do and the things He says aren’t necessary. Filling this week with His priorities will give you a daily list that’s actually doable and memories that will be priceless!
• Ask the Lord if there are lonely people He wants you to encourage or ask to join you for Christmas. Even if you are lonely yourself, ask Him to give you the strength to reach out to someone else. The enemy of our souls works overtime to isolate God’s people during Christmas. Helping others is a Christmas blessing to everyone involved and he knows it.

Martha Stewart’s daughter wrote about Christmas in her house growing up. Her mom may be the queen of the “perfect” Christmas, but the memories she has of those celebrations sound full of bitterness and regret. Perfect decorations, perfect food and perfectly wrapped gifts don’t make a perfect Christmas. However, a mom who pursues the peace of Jesus rather than the perfect Christmas will give her children the gift of Christmas memories they’ll cherish for a lifetime.

The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:4-5 NLT