It has been a very chilly, take-your-breath-away kind of cold here in Michigan this past week, with temperatures barely making it to 20 degrees each day. I know it’s Michigan and I’ve lived here my whole life and I should expect this, but I’ll be honest, I’m not a big fan of it. Between the whipping wind and below-zero wind-chill altogether, I’d be okay with a white Christmas followed by sunshine and warm temps the rest of the year. But since that’s not going to happen, I’m content to live in fleece or flannel pjs, covered in extra blankets, sitting by the fire for the next few months until it’s time for Spring.
While I’m naturally a very active person, with the sky getting so dark so early and the temperatures being as bone-chilling as they are, I’ve found myself settling into a laid-back pace when I get home from work each night. My body and soul have been telling me I need this for quite a while now given all that’s been going on, and for the first time, I’m really listening and allowing what comes unnaturally to me (rest) to be a priority. Sometimes it’s hard and sometimes I feel guilty because I feel like I should be doing other things, but I’m resisting the temptations, and taking it easy. And it’s been really good for me.
This season is filled with a great deal of activity – picking out Christmas trees, decorating the home, baking holiday goodies, entertaining family and friends, writing Christmas cards, buying and wrapping presents – and while all of these are good things, they can at times leave us feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and exhausted by the end of it all. For me personally, I’m over feeling that way. Life, outside of the holidays, is busy and chaotic enough as it is, and I don’t want my Advent and Christmas to be marked by that, too. As I take the time to rest and relax, I find myself experiencing those “tidings of comfort and joy” that Christ meant for us to have when He came to Earth, and it’s exactly the fresh air I’ve been needing to get up and breathe anew again each day. It’s grace. And it’s lovely.
A few things that have brought me “comfort and joy” over the last couple weeks, include:
This book by Ann Voskamp is AMAZING. I love Ann’s writing style and her perspective of the gospel love story. It’s been a wonderful way to spend my morning quiet time with God – pressing into Him, preparing my heart for the beauty and wonder of Immanuel, God With Us.
This video by Beth Moore on her blog last week spoke to me on SO many levels. I’ve mentioned how hard this year has been for me and my family, and I absolutely loved the revelation that within Scripture, the twelfth month of the year was typically a time of turn-around, for good, for the Lord’s people. This greatly encouraged me, and continues to do so as I move through this December, asking God to redeem all that has happened and end the year on the highest note possible.
This post by Stephanie May on the Lipstick Gospel is also appropriate for the same reasons I’ve just mentioned. She writes, “Here’s what I do know: God is good. He is. Through cancer and death and rifts between loved ones, through broken hearts and broken lives and broken promises, he’s good. He’s good in the hard times and in the good times and in the times that feel messy and thoroughly beyond repair. And in those times – those times that feel like you’re digging at rock bottom, is when it’s the most important to remember that fact. He is good.” I just love this reminder, this plain and simple truth. He is good.
This show. Can I just say how much I adore this series? In my opinion, it’s one of the BEST things to ever happen in the history of television. Everything is perfect and so well done, and I could get sucked in for hours if I didn’t have other things to do. I’ve been re-watching episodes and catching up on those I missed last year in anticipation for Season 4 starting next month, and it can’t come soon enough. I’m a huge fan. Grin.
This recipe. Who doesn’t love the scent of warm chocolate chip cookies coming from the oven inviting you to sit back and indulge with a hot cup of cocoa?!? It’s an oldie, but goodie and the hubby and I have been thoroughly enjoying a small batch of these I made earlier in the week. So sweet. So good.
What “tidings of comfort and joy” are you enjoying in this season?
I hope you’re finding the time to partake in life’s simple pleasures and experience the goodness this holiday is meant to be to us all. Blessings to you on this Sunday!
here’s what I do know: God is good.
He is.
Through cancer and death and rifts between loved ones, through broken hearts and broken lives and broken promises, he’s good.
He’s good in the hard times and in the good times and in the times that feel messy and thoroughly beyond repair.
And in those times—those times that feel like you’re digging at rock bottom, is when it’s the most important to remember that fact.
He is good.
– See more at: http://thelipstickgospel.com/2013/12/11/the-two-little-words-that-will-change-your-life/#sthash.E5GH5uOy.dpuf
here’s what I do know: God is good.
He is.
Through cancer and death and rifts between loved ones, through broken hearts and broken lives and broken promises, he’s good.
He’s good in the hard times and in the good times and in the times that feel messy and thoroughly beyond repair.
And in those times—those times that feel like you’re digging at rock bottom, is when it’s the most important to remember that fact.
He is good.
– See more at: http://thelipstickgospel.com/2013/12/11/the-two-little-words-that-will-change-your-life/#sthash.E5GH5uOy.dpuf