Laced With Grace

Today I have a question for you. During this busy time of year, what fruit are you displaying in your life?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22, 23

I was out doing some errands and shopping this week. As I look back on my busy day, it is easy to think of examples of times when one could become aggravated, annoyed, unhappy, etc. Lines are longer than usual. Parking lots are fuller than on normal weekdays. All of the shopping carts are taken. Stores are overcrowded with extra gift displays making it hard to maneuver through the aisles. Kids are whining and past ready to go home.

Is it easy to be joyful when you find a parking spot only to have someone else turn and get that spot ahead of you? Is it easy to be patient when there are only two registers open and five people standing in line at each one? Is it easy to be loving to the fellow shoppers who are rude and impatient?

Remember that we can’t be different on our own. On our own we will grumble, complain, and gripe just like everyone else. If we act just like all the other shoppers, what kind of example are we setting?  There are so many opportunities for us to shine for Jesus during the Christmas season.  It is only by the Spirit living in us that these fruit will become evident.  What better time than at Christmas to share His love, joy, and peace with those around us!

I encourage you to check your attitude often (both when you are out shopping AND when you are at home with your family). What fruit are you displaying this Christmas?

Merry Christmas!  Have a day of blessings!

So often times the Christmas season becomes one big stress that we just want to be over. Don’t you get tired of running from here to there and your to-do list keeping you awake at night?

* buy $5 gift for my daughter’s school gift exchange

* address, stamp and mail Christmas cards

* wrap and mail those packages going out of state

* bake Christmas cookies for neighbors

* hang Christmas lights – inside and out

* buy fresh Christmas tree and decorate

* attend Christmas program at child’s school

* attend work holiday party

* volunteer this Christmas season

* sing in church choir on Sunday

* shop for Christmas dinner

* buy gifts for family

* on and on the list grows

If you are like me, along with your Christmas planning, you are thinking ahead to 2012. Dreaming, picking a word or verse for next year, setting new goals, or thinking about ways to be more organized. Goodness, I get tired just listing all of this. Don’t you?

May I call a time out? May I share the real reason we celebrate?

 Father God, I pause to remember the real reason of this Christmas season. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! You are the reason I live, the reason I celebrate, the reason I have peace. Thank You for your great love. Today I fix my eyes not on my To-Do list but on You, the author and finisher of my faith. You are the greatest gift I know. This season all I want for CHRISTmas is more of You. Your presence is my present. In Your glorious name I pray, Amen.

Enjoy this Christmas season, friends. Let’s celebrate Christ like we’ve never celebrated Him before. Amen?

Love,

Tiffany at Tea with Tiffany

You’ve heard the sappy old comparison before:

There was no room in the inn for Jesus (Luke 2:7). Is there room in your heart for Jesus?

Yes, the question is a bit corny and overdone. But I’ve been thinking about it seriously for the last few days. With the busyness of my life, am I truly giving Jesus top priority?

Let’s ask another question, very relevant to the season:

Is there room in your Christmas for Jesus?

Seriously. After all the garland and ornaments. In the midst of all the meal-planning and baking. After Christmas cards and shopping and wrapping and party-going… is there room in your Christmas for Jesus.

Do you have a “to-do” list for Christmas? If so it probably includes things like addressing the cards, baking the pies, cleaning the guest room, and decking the halls. Maybe your list is a shopping list and you will spend the next two weeks at the mall, WalMart, and the grocery store. Then you have to bring it all home and wrap it or cook it.

I certainly am not against gift-giving and celebrating. In fact, I’m all for it! I’ve been shopping and cooking the last couple of weeks. I also have a party or two on my calendar. But God has impressed me recently with the need to keep the reason for Christmas my top priority. “Jesus” should be at the top of every list.

How can we do that? How can we participate in the fun holiday traditions without allowing them to overshadow the reason for the celebration? We must constantly be on guard against it and we must also be intentional about keeping Jesus in the forefront.

Here are a few of the things our family has done over the years to keep our focus on Christ at Christmas:

• We hang the Christmas Nail on the tree and talk about the truth that Jesus came to die. (This page shows you what the nail looks like and the poem that goes with it. You can also make your own with ribbon and large nails or spikes found at the hardware store. I’ve even given them away as gifts!)
• The nativity set is our most cherished Christmas décor. It gets prime location!
•  We give to those who are in need through an organization like Operation Christmas Child.
• We attend Christmas Eve services. We worship Jesus before the gift-giving.
• We bake a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas Eve day.
• We read the Christmas story from Matthew and Luke before heading to bed on Christmas Eve.

I would love to hear about the ways you and your families keep your focus on Christ at Christmas. Let’s talk!

Merry Christmas!

Kathy