family at the holidays
Make Sure the Holiday Is What You Desire
The Christmas season is so, so exciting. It gets us in touch with so much that is important: the message of God’s gift of Jesus and His redemption, the importance of family, relationships, gratitude and love, and so much more. “Living in collaboration with Me is the way to instill meaning into your days.Begin each day alone with Me, so that you can experiencethe reality of My Presence.” Jesus Calling, December 14 At the same time, it can be fraught with pain and conflict. Sometimes holidays bring out the grief of what someone has never had, or what has lost been or destroyed. Longings go unmet, and past pain is often revisited. Then there is the opportunity for old pain and patterns in toxic relationships to be repeated, as families get together and some people find themselves around hurtf...
Plan for Grumble-Free Holidays
by Tricia Goyer “Thank Me frequently as you journey through today…When your mind is occupied with thanking Me, you have no time for worrying or complaining.” Jesus Calling, November 25 The holidays ring out with jingle bells and the laughter of children. But too often they often ring out with something not so jolly: grumbles. As a mom of ten kids, the complaints and whines seemed to slide in with the season, until my husband and I decided to try something different. We invited our kids (and also my grandmother, who lives with us) to attempt a Grumble-Free Year. We knew our family’s grumbles pointed back to a serious heart-issue: discontent. It took a full twelve-months to dig out the roots of dissatisfaction. Along the way, I also discovered a few ways each of us can plan to go grumble-fre...
