We’ve all heard the lyrics of a certain Christmas song: It’s the most wonderful time of the year …
And if you’re like me, you’ve probably had times when you’ve responded with “Really?!”
Christmas comes ’round the same time every year. And sometimes, sometimes, it collides with circumstances in our lives that aren’t wonderful. I could point you to the headlines … or you could share something going on in your life or something going on in a friend’s or family member’s life that would prove no, it’s not the most wonderful time of the year.
And that’s the truth.
But Christmas is also the truth. And the truth of Immanuel — God with us — is exactly why we can find hope in the midst of life going wrong … or going horribly wrong, wrong, wrong. We can look past song lyrics and cling to the TRUTH.
There are a lot of ways you can make the Christmas season special. Traditions. Music. Lights. Recipes. I want to share a new way to hold onto the TRUTH of Christmas during the next 31 days. It’s a 31 Day Scripture Writing Plan. I found it on Facebook, and found out it was developed by Shannon over at her Sweet Blessings blog. Today’s quote graphic is from the Day 1 Scripture: Isaiah 7:14-17. I hope you’ll join me in a new Christmas tradition.
In Your Words: What tradition helps make Christmas special for you each year?
[Tweet “In Others’ Words: A New Way to Slow Down and Focus on Christmas #Christmas #slowdown #faith”] [Tweet “” … Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” #Isaiah #GodWithUs #Christmas”] [Tweet “Try a 31 Day Scripture Writing Plan during December by @SweetBlessShan #Christmas #tradition #faith”]
Comments 8
Happy Advent, Beth. Thanks so much for sharing this!
I live in a family of pharmacists and we never know who works when. And now we have a pastor in the family with Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services. (We always knew that was his calling.) So our family tradition is flexibility. We find a date when everybody is off work, and that’s when we celebrate.
Merry Christmas!
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Merry Christmas, Jackie!
Flexibility is a great tradition.
My husband is a family physician, so we’ve learned flexibility, too. He was also in the military. One year we were stationed in Turkey — well, we were stationed there for two years. 🙂 Anyway, Rob had to work Christmas Eve. We didn’t want our kiddos to go to sleep without Rob home that night. So, I brought the kiddos over to his office, all in PJs, and we inflated a portable mattress. And we all snuggled down and went to sleep there. The next morning, we left before anyone else came in. Rob came home a few hours later and we celebrated Christmas.
Guess I’ll just enjoy what I can, as I can.
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Andrew,
Of course I thought of you as I wrote this post.
And I prayed for you.
May you know that you are loved this Christmas season.
I do know that, Beth. It’s what keeps me going. The greatest of these, as a smart fellow named Paul once said…is Love.
And paul got a deliberate mention as a character name in “Angela – New mexico Christmas”…though I only realized it after the fact. The brain obviously works best when one ain’t thinkin’.
Great post (as always) and another fabulous idea. Yes, December 1st and all kinds of good things coming, including a snowy scene outside and colorful Christmas lights twinkling to offset the shorter sunlight hours of darker winter days. I see that the words, “May your days be cheery and bright” is a well-expressed wish and I’ll do my reasonable best to make it happen here.
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Dee:
You join the conversation and I smile.
Thank you for making my morning a little cheerier and brighter.
🙂
Beth, I love the idea of writing out Scripture each day of this season. I just completed my first day. It’s amazing what God shows me when I take time to slow down and write His word.
I think decorating our tree is one of my favorite traditions of the year. I realized this past weekend how much it means to our boys as well. One son put in the Mannheim Steamroller CD, we had a special beverage and got to work, remembering ornaments and laughing at a few stories. I can imagine the stories that will be added to this event as the boys grow older.