MAKE THE SEASON BRIGHT

"And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."

~ John 1:5 ~

Here, there, and everywhere, we're seeing festive Christmas decorations. Beautiful blinking lights and serene solid ones usher in that special feeling of Christmas.

Of the hundreds of decorations displayed throughout the Yuletide season, bright and shinning lights seem to top the list. There's an undeniable magic in each twinkle.

While the choice to use clear or multi-colored lights may not directly affect an outward appearance, for most enthusiast, this decision requires a great deal of concentration. People decide according to their personal desires.

The competence for choosing fascinating holiday lights is quite similar to that of choosing less holiday stress. We light up Christmas in our lives by the choices we make. And we all have a choice to stress or not to stress.

When we resolve to not allow the secular concerns of the season to clog our minds with a slew of stresses, we are free to embrace the true joys of Christmas.

It matters not who or what we're facing, the truth is that we create our own beauty and brightness by how we act--or react--with the issues of life. As the world turns with its typical Christmas craze, it's our prerogative to de-stress.

Peace I leave with you . . .

TIS THE SEASON

"Come now, and let us reason together . . ." ~ Isaiah 1:18 ~

Whenever there are holidays, there’s usually stress. For some strange reason, the final season of the year tends to be the most stressful one. Generally, preparing for Thanksgiving seems to ignite our stresses, and then Christmas agendas bring on the big combustion.

Although we celebrate this season repeatedly each year, we still allow stress to overpower us. The more we attempt to make our holidays "merry and bright," the more we’re bothered with stress. The harder we aspire to eliminate issues, the greater we’re bound by anxieties.

People have often said that "Practice makes perfect." They reasoned that the more we do a thing, the better we become at doing it.

Can we honestly say that the more Christmases we deal with stress, the better we become at managing it? Even if we haven’t fully figured out how to keep our stresses at bay, we still should be making progress.

This Christmas season, let’s begin by being reasonable. No doubt, each person’s "reasonable" may vary a little—possibly a lot—but let’s be sensible. Right here and now, determine to know . . .

When to say no
When to let go
When to be spend wisely
When to stop spending
When to stop overeating
When to stop the insanity
When to leave well-enough alone
When to take a time-out
When to turn the lights off
When to sleep at night

After all, the Christmas season was never intended for stress.

Peace I leave with you . . .

SAY "THANK-YOU"

"O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." ~ Psalm 107:1 ~


Living in the yesteryears afforded lots of good character. Our elders walked and talked with a deep sense of integrity. One such notable trait was the courtesy to give thanks.

When we received something large or small, new or used, we barely embraced whatever-it-was in our clutches before our mothers and fathers' serious tones echoed in our ears, "Say thank-you."

Whether it was the result of someone doing a good deed, or someone sharing food and clothing and toys, or someone simply showing neighborly kindness, we were required to say "Thank-you."

Rendering thanks wasn’t just on some days, or with certain things or certain people. And it wasn't reserved for special times of the year, either. It was all the time. In those days, giving thanks wasn’t our choice—It was our lifestyle.

Now that the Thanksgiving season is upon us, it’s the perfect time—not to imply the only time—to give thanks . . . especially to God for all His goodness to us. Who deserves more thanks than the Giver of all good and perfect gifts?


Peace I leave with you . . .

STICKS AND STONES

"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."
~ Proverbs 16:24 ~

Sticks and stones might break my bones, but words will never hurt me . . .

Ever mumbled these words before?

For years, we’ve said—or heard—them, and even though we may have meant every single word when we breathed them, we barely believed them.

Truth is, words do hurt us. Words are extremely powerful, and some of them can hit us harder than any stick and heavier than any stone.

Sadly enough, there are people who dish out huge spoonfuls of pure-de-hateful words. And it matters not what we openly profess, words will upset us. And hurt us. And stress us.

Surely you remember when . . .

So, how do we bounce back when knocked down by other’s unkind words? How do we calm down, when someone’s offensive words have riled us up? What is the secret to less stress from hurtful words?

Here’s one of the most important things to do: Remember.
Remember who we are.
Remember what we stand for.
Remember how we wish to perceive peoples’ words.
Remember which words to treasure and which ones to trash.
Remember to never squabble over words.

Peace I leave with you . . .

CHANGE

"In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; . . ." ~ Psalm 31:1 ~

On last Sunday, we witnessed an official time change. Even though we make the same change this time every year, the transition did not occur without considerable grumbling and complaining.

Here again, we’re reminded of the fact, the more things change—the more they stay the same.

What is it about "change" that causes us to be so resistant? Why do far too many continuously fret and complain over the least amount of change? And dare we mention the pandemonium of massive change?

Why do we wrestle so severely with things we cannot change? Surely we’re aware how damaging agitated attitudes and foul moods can be to our well being. Irritations and aggravations are enemies of the worst kind. They wipe out the peace we possess and keep us super-stressed.

These two culprits (and their kind) don't harbor an ounce of prejudice—they couldn’t care less whose mind they mess with or whose contentment they steal or whose life they complicate.

So what’s the top recommended remedy for successful change? "A smile." Yes, a heartfult smile that resonates from the inside out; A strong hope in the goodness and grace of One Who sees, knows, and controls all things.

Whether it’s a change of direction, a change of scenery, a change of mind, change of heart, a change of jobs, a change of address, a change of hairstyles, or even a change of dirty diapers, let’s streamline our stresses and embrace our challenges with a genuine smile.


Peace I leave with you . . .

LET US PRAY

"Pray without ceasing." ~ 1Thessalonians 5:17 ~

At the brink of another presidential election, as we wait and anticipate, let’s be diligent in praying for our candidates and for our country.

In unison, let us pray:

Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom,
And the power,
And the glory,
For ever. Amen.

IF ONLY

" . . . Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! For then I would fly away, and be at rest." ~ Psalm 55:6 ~


Whether we choose to admit it or not, we’ve all been victims to the world-wide cry of "if only."

If only this could have been . . . if only that would have been; If only he would do . . . if only she wouldn’t do; If only they were . . . if only they weren’t; If only we had this, that, or the other . . .

In a time of great distress, even King David mourned an "If only." In Psalm 55:6 David shares the reason for his if-only cry: So he could "be at rest."

At one time or another, we’ve all been there. Whether individually or collectively, whether in audible words or silent thoughts, we’ve all wished for something or someone to be or not to be. And the bad part about it all is that we allow such situations to steal our peace of mind.

If there is one thing that stress-survivors absolutely cannot afford to do, it is to be passive. We’re totally defeating our purpose when we stand idly and unconcerned in areas that dictate our well being.

Regardless of how large or small the issue may seem, we must safeguard our surroundings. We must be bold—and confident. And we must stand firm on issues that warrant our attentiveness.

No ma’am . . . No sir, no more fretting for us. For we realize we’re fighting a stressful enemy. And we refuse to willfully roll over and surrender our peace, simply because we can’t handle this thing called "stress."

Peace I leave with you . . .