Preparing your heart & home for the Holidays – Episode 26

In between series here on the podcast, we are sneaking in a holiday episode. Are you READY and excited for the holidays? Or perhaps dreading the effort and the time coming up? Whether you feel excited or are dreading the upcoming holidays, we can all use a good dose of perspective for finding Joy in the Lord this year! Listen in: Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. A call to be generous & servant hearted "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” - Acts 20:35 We can witness to unsaved family and friends this way and be a good model for our kids. "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:16 We are called to use the life and resources that God has given us to serve. "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love." - Galatians 5:13 Examine our expectations  With this in mind, let's be ultra clear on what our expectations are for the holidays. Many of us go into the day with grand ideas and an agenda. We have a picture of how this family get together will be and what we will do. Plans don't always go our way. So plan for the day, expect God's glory to be shone, and let all the little things go. If we have unrealistic expectations, the holidays will never be fun and we will probably be upset or angry. Let's remember to serve and glorify God with these days. Remember those who are hurting this holiday season  I never understood how hard the holidays could be until my mom passed away. My eyes were opened to the fact that the holidays can be incredible for so many and incredibly sad for so many others. Look out for who you can serve. Who needs some encouragement or a hug this holiday season? Who doesn't have any family to spend the holidays with? Watch for ways that you and your family can serve. Make the holidays about Christ  I love November and December. I adore putting up Christmas lights and walking down the oldest street in town, hot chocolate in hand, and ooing over all the lights and houses. I love Christmas carols and sitting by the fire. I love the ambiance and the time of year. But above all of those things, we love Christ. And as in everyday life, we should seek to make the holidays firmly about Christ. Let's make sure to center our celebrations and our joy around HIM. Christmas carols: https://uribrito.com/optimism-christmas-carols/ I have a few goals as I head into the holiday season: Recognize that this is a busy season. This is not the time for mama to kick her feet up and have the perfect holiday. It's the time we can serve and love our families in the best possible way. Adjust your expectations accordingly. If you go into this season with the right perspective, it can change everything. I want to have a servants heart - and look for ways I can serve Bring my family together. More family time, not less, is my goal during the busy holiday season. For our young ages, this sometimes looks like saying no to friends things so we can just be home as a family of 8 together. Finally and most importantly: Bring glory to God. Make our mission about Christ in all we do. From thanksgiving praises, to working hard in the kitchen, from thinking ahead as to how we can be a blessing at relatives houses, to being the first to offer to clean up, from focusing on Scripture to singing joyful Christmas caroles together: We can aim to be bring glory to God in everything we do. Cleaning House for the Holidays sermon series: Gaining a clear consciences before God Finding relief from regrets