The gift God would most like from you is your expectation. You can put so much pressure on yourself (and everyone around you) at Christmas. You want everyone to be happy, and happy with you. You want to grab hold of that elusive feeling of joy you believe is possible, and you want it for more than the few minutes it takes to open the gifts or eat the meals that you worked so hard to provide. But you can’t control how other people think or feel or act, any more than you can control time.
What you can do is put all your expectations into God’s hands. Contained in them are your hopes, dreams, and relationships, as well as your anxieties, frustrations, and your loneliness. All of that gets wrapped in your memories, both good and bad. Give it all to God. Right now. Let Him set you free from past hurts, present stress, and future worries. Take a deep breath. Take another. Let His love for you become an ever-growing expectation, displacing every negative in your heart and mind. In that love, you can see who He wants to be for you this Christmas, and able to recognize His presence everywhere you look. In that love, you get to be exactly who He sees you as, truly joyful, peaceful, and whole, and without fear that you will lose it. In that love, you are able to bless without needing anything in return, and to live in each moment so fully that it really does feels like God has slowed time for you.
No matter what this year has looked like, or the circumstances you are still facing, I pray you have the most wonderful Christmas of your life, and it begins a new year of unending joy.
Equip Your Spirit 