It has become a race to see how quickly Christmas can hit our stores, our televisions and social media. Some years it is received with a nice big gut punch of anxiety and other years it can be a blissful welcome into our festive little souls.
I will admit that I had my first pumpkin spice latte in 93 degree heat on my birthday weekend in September and purchased a roll of plaid ribbon with my son’s school supplies this year. I do love the taste of pumpkin and glimpses of tartan plaid, no matter the time of year, but the rush that comes with it is sometimes more than a girl can absorb. Christmas consumerism seems to get bolder as the years go on. Our world is just louder these days with no chance of quieting down. Happy Hallothanksmas will be coined a real holiday before this century is over, I just know it!
So how do we focus on the main thing and keep ourselves off the Christmas expressway to mental, spiritual and physical exhaustion? We make a conscious decision to keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1). Having Pinterest boards with tree décor, cookies, ornaments and gift ideas is fine as long as we aren’t rushing into Christmas with the wrong motives and without a clear focus on the birth of our savior.
My prayer is that we can focus on the main thing as we anticipate the most festive season and keep the noise of comparison, rush and envy silenced. How do we do that? We focus on Jesus, tradition and loving those entrusted to us. We turn off the distractions that stir us into a hot frenzy. I can’t wait to celebrate this season. Every year I get just as excited as the one before and I never want anything to dull the sparkle that it brings to my soul.
Please join me for all kinds of ideas to bring Jesus, tradition and fun into your heart and home at Christmas. I can’t wait to prepare room for Him again this year and hope you will join me!
-Abby Jo-
Life With My Sister 