i was inspired by my friend sam's words and felt refreshed in my mindset about christmas after reading them (you should read what he wrote^), so i decided to jot down a list of things i want to be mindful of this christmas season.
i'm a sucker for all the cozy, cheery gatherings & christmas music & sentimental gushy-ness this time of year brings as much as the next person (unless you're the next person and you aren't into those things :)), but desire a balanced mindset.. one that honors & cherishes Christ while also eating Christmas cookies and watching a hallmark movie with mom (my mom's aaalll about those hallmark movies and we love to tease her for it, ha!)..
so here goes.. things i want to cultivate and be mindful of this season (and honestly, in my life in general)...
1) simplicity. this isn't new information for anyone, this time of year there are a lot of expectations on hosting, buying, decorating, cooking, baking, doing, and i want to buck the system a little bit. all of those are good things, but not when they're done out of obligation and without sincerity or even enjoyment. i want to slow down this christmas season and evaluate my decisions through a lens of simplicity. more meaningful, thoughtful decisions/purchases, less obligation and expectation... applied to all of those categories ^.
2) slowing down. this goes along with #1, but i think the only way to really notice what Jesus might be inviting us into, where He might be moving & what He might be saying to us in the midst of our days, and to really cherish and notice Him, is the act of slowing down and making time for Him, time for rest, time for quiet.
3) gratitude. it's easy to forget about gratitude after thanksgiving, but i don't ever want to forget to thank our sweet Jesus for who He is and what He has done. never ever. the minute i forget to thank Him, the minute my heart starts to believe scary things like "i deserve this." just the breath in our lungs is a gift, and everything else is lavished lavished lavished. may we never believe we deserve any of it.
4) being together. hands down, my favorite thing about christmastime is the gatherings it inspires. i love an excuse to see people i don't get to see often, or get the whole fam together or all my friends! it's so fun to me. the idea of prioritizing celebration is somethin i've been thinking about lately, and it makes sense that this time of year there'd be so much celebrating, even if it is covered over and masked by obligation. our God entered the gritty, dirty, brokenness of humanity in the most vulnerable way, and came to give us hope because He loves us. i can' think of anything more beautiful or worth celebrating & gratitude. it is a good thing to be together. emphasis on BE.. just bringing ourselves to spend time with people. i love that.
that's all i could think of right now! wanna join me??
and MERRY CHRISTMAS, friends! and it won't kill any of us to drink some eggnog, eh?! (actually... don't drink it if you're lactose intolerant.. bad idea.. whoops.)
:)
i'm a sucker for all the cozy, cheery gatherings & christmas music & sentimental gushy-ness this time of year brings as much as the next person (unless you're the next person and you aren't into those things :)), but desire a balanced mindset.. one that honors & cherishes Christ while also eating Christmas cookies and watching a hallmark movie with mom (my mom's aaalll about those hallmark movies and we love to tease her for it, ha!)..
so here goes.. things i want to cultivate and be mindful of this season (and honestly, in my life in general)...
1) simplicity. this isn't new information for anyone, this time of year there are a lot of expectations on hosting, buying, decorating, cooking, baking, doing, and i want to buck the system a little bit. all of those are good things, but not when they're done out of obligation and without sincerity or even enjoyment. i want to slow down this christmas season and evaluate my decisions through a lens of simplicity. more meaningful, thoughtful decisions/purchases, less obligation and expectation... applied to all of those categories ^.
2) slowing down. this goes along with #1, but i think the only way to really notice what Jesus might be inviting us into, where He might be moving & what He might be saying to us in the midst of our days, and to really cherish and notice Him, is the act of slowing down and making time for Him, time for rest, time for quiet.
3) gratitude. it's easy to forget about gratitude after thanksgiving, but i don't ever want to forget to thank our sweet Jesus for who He is and what He has done. never ever. the minute i forget to thank Him, the minute my heart starts to believe scary things like "i deserve this." just the breath in our lungs is a gift, and everything else is lavished lavished lavished. may we never believe we deserve any of it.
4) being together. hands down, my favorite thing about christmastime is the gatherings it inspires. i love an excuse to see people i don't get to see often, or get the whole fam together or all my friends! it's so fun to me. the idea of prioritizing celebration is somethin i've been thinking about lately, and it makes sense that this time of year there'd be so much celebrating, even if it is covered over and masked by obligation. our God entered the gritty, dirty, brokenness of humanity in the most vulnerable way, and came to give us hope because He loves us. i can' think of anything more beautiful or worth celebrating & gratitude. it is a good thing to be together. emphasis on BE.. just bringing ourselves to spend time with people. i love that.
that's all i could think of right now! wanna join me??
and MERRY CHRISTMAS, friends! and it won't kill any of us to drink some eggnog, eh?! (actually... don't drink it if you're lactose intolerant.. bad idea.. whoops.)
:)
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