Just a little while ago I was in the kitchen brewing a pot of tea and all the sudden I burst out laughing. My husband Ron heard me and wanted to now what was so funny. I told him, “You never know whats going through my mind.” I was going to leave it at that, but he insisted to know so I told him. The Christmas carol, “Deck the Halls” was playing in my head but with a slightly different twist. Singing in my off key voice: Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la blah blah blah Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la blah blah blah. We both started laughing. Why in the world does my mind work this way? Who needs Hollywood when the mind can be so comical?
I know… I’m not right but I am real. There is no pretense with me. I’m one of those : “take a situation and make it work” kind of people. We can’t fix people or situations but we can adjust our approach and expectations.
This is the most wonderful time of year simply because we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The greatest gift ever. When we keep to the true meaning of our celebrations I’m good. When we throw the hustle, chaos, shopping, events, gatherings, and traditions in, it can overstimulate and overwhelm me. Don’t get me wrong, I do love it. Dealing with all of it and having visual and hearing limitations makes it hard. I’m most content in going with a smile and doing my best to make sure everyone else is enjoying themselves. That is just the way I “roll”. It brings me joy to see others enjoying themselves.
While there is cheer and joy all around. I also see suffering and people struggling. There are people with limitations whether it be physical, financial, relational or emotional. There are people not eager to experience this holiday without a loved one who is no longer with us. I know some people who are grieving and others with health issues.
So how can we find joy in the midst of it all? I will share with you what works for me. First, I keep my focus on the true meaning of it all. It’s all about Jesus. Plain and simple. Every single day when I wake up Jesus gets my first fruits of the day: time for prayer and study of the Bible. It brings me such peace, joy and strength to face whatever the day throws. Often times it throws some curve balls. All I can say is “batter up”.
Another thing that brings me joy is giving. It doesn’t have to be things. I can be giving of my time or a listening ear. Encouragement is one of my spiritual gifts and I take great delight in encouraging others. Today I asked Ron if we could give a gift card we received for a local ice cream shop, to a single mother of four. He was all for it. It made us happy to pass on the blessing to her. There is such joy to be found in giving. It is much more blessed to give than receive.
Another way to find joy is being okay with saying no. You don’t have to go to everything you’re invited to if it wears you flat out. Prioritize! You must take care of yourself so you can take care of others. Finding balance is key.
Find a way to get your shopping and errands done without totally depleting yourself. I will tell you I am not a shopper. I’m not the best with gift giving simply because stores overwhelm me. With my low vision and the way everything is so high tech, going to the store is down right over stimulating. There is too much to look at and when I see something thats a possible gift idea, then I need to see the size. I get my ipad out and use my camera to find the right size. I know… I’m stubbornly independent. I just never want to be a bother. Thank God for Amazon and online shopping. I don’t need to drive to get it and I’m not overloaded with images. I can just search what I’m looking for and scroll through the selection. This year I had most of my shopping done before December 1 thanks to Black Friday online deals and cyber Monday deals. It worked for me. Find what works for you and don’t stress about it. Joy is not found in a gift under a tree.
Find joy in the special people in your life. God blesses us with family, be it big or small. God also blesses us with friends to enjoy and laugh with. I honestly had the best time with a group of friends recently. We decided to have a pajama Christmas Mexican party. We all wore our Christmas pajamas and brought something for a Mexican dinner to share. We all drew a name and brought one gift that was color themed. Whatever color the person we drew wanted, we found something that color. It was a neat and fun idea. Each person opened their gift beside where I was sitting so I could see everything. I did not ask them to do this. They are just so thoughtful! Such a blessing! We also played Uno with EXTRA LARGE cards. My friend Leasa bought them on Amazon, thinking I could see them better. It was hilarious and I surely could see them better. It was the best time I’ve had in a long time. Their thoughtfulness and friendship is such a gift and most of them are in my Bible study group.
My prayer for you all is that you find true joy this Christmas season and in the coming year. Life is not perfect. There are always challenges of some kind to face but you dont have to do it alone. I love Matthew 1:23, “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”” (NLT). Isn’t that beautiful. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are not alone. Find true joy this Christmas in the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Oh come let us adore Him… Oh come let us adore Him… Oh come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
If you liked this blog post please subscribe and share. I’m thankful for this gift to share when God puts something on my heart. You can find my autobiography Rooted by the Water on Amazon. (Hard cover soft cover, and e-book formats.) I pray it gives you great hope and courage to surrender to Jesus. He is all you really need. All for the Glory of God.
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