I sit here tonight snuggled up in my thermals with a giant blanket around me. This 60 degree change from our Florida trip to back at home has me all snuggled up. I’m so glad to slow down if just for one evening. Funny thing is that in reality I have a million things to do, but I am practicing letting those things go, handing them all to the Lord one by one. And yes, I mean practicing because I just cried about the pile of clean laundry on my bed that needs to be folded.
I’ve been noticing lately ( like the last several months/years) that I tend towards being a slave to my to-do list. I let it define me and control me and fall apart when things don’t go as planned. It is not a pretty thing and makes me realize just how much I need Jesus. But then I get on a roll again (smiling, sending notes, checking things off my list, having everyone awe about how much I get done) and I feel like I have worked myself out of my mess (instead of the grace of Jesus) and then it all crashes again and thus the cycle continues. That is why I say practicing because it is easy to let productivity & perfection rule me but I need to change that habit, that pattern and it is something that I have to chose moment by moment (remember crying Elizabeth over my pile of laundry?)
Want to know what I learned today (besides the fact that Jimmy Fallon made this adorable JCrew phone case)?! I learned that Thanksgiving is next week. It is crazy people. This is when my to-do list starts freaking out. Like my house doesn’t have carpet yet, how am I supposed to decorate for Christmas!? This is where that practicing comes in because of course I want to decorate for Christmas and it is fun to create a warm & welcoming home for guests around the holidays but is that the most important? Is the holiday season all about perfectly decorating your house and then sharing pretty, bright pictures of it on Instagram? Can the Lord still use me and an unfinished to-do list to reflect the true meaning of Christmas? To show Christ, to be generous, to share the Gospel?
Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let Earth receive her King
Let every heart, prepare him room
And Heaven, let Heaven
Heaven and nature
Heaven and nature sing
Let every heart prepare Him room. When my heart is so cluttered with expectations, stress, and fear, I leave no room for Jesus. My drive to get my outside world ready for the holidays doesn’t also prepare room in my heart. In fact, it can sometimes do the opposite – block him out. I’m too busy setting up for Christmas, shopping for gifts, and creating wish lists (full of affiliate links so I can try to make money) to even spend time with Him.
I don’t want you to think that I have it all together. I’m sinful and messy and in need of grace just like you. I say hurtful things, I am selfish & self seeking, I let fear control me, and I pretend my sin isn’t that bad. Sometimes we forget the people around us are just as messy as we are. We live for people’s approval over the Lord’s approval. But grace is always there and it covers all that sin. We cannot work ourselves out of our mess but we don’t have to drown. In this crazy season that vies for so much of our attention and time, let us first seek the Lord and lay our lists at His feet.
Let the Lord fill you with his song. Rejoice with the heavens and the earth regardless of your circumstances this holiday season. Prepare Him room and let go of those other things that are cluttering your heart. And it is okay if you have to practice doing that day by day and moment by moment. His grace is always better than our striving.
Thanks for listening to my heart and nodding your head (I hope at least a little) to the crazy, hectic, holiday to-do list syndrome. My prayer is that this season would be different for you. That you would be able to let go, forgive, be generous, receive grace, and experience the Lord in a new way this Christmas.
We also wanted to give you the opportunity to win this mug as a reminder of this season. Meg, Sam, and I are so thankful for you! To enter to win this beautiful Lindsay Letters Mug, fill out the rafflecopter below! Good Luck!
I just love decorating Christmas cookies with the whole family!
Also, the Buddy canvas is the best thing I have ever seen! but I also love the traditional vow canvas and the more water tumbler!
I love your perspective on this! I have been trying hard not to be down over not having a space that feels like home or someplace to decorate for the holidays, too. I hope your space will come together, but if it doesn’t…next year will be fantastic!
I’m heading home for the holidays this weekend and I couldn’t be more excited to be surrounded by friends and family. I’ve really learned what’s important over the past few months, and nothing will be as important as the people I spend my days with. We always head to my uncle’s and surround two big tables to share a meal together, and I cannot wait for that chaos!
PS, love the mug!
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is Christmas morning breakfast at my parents. My mom makes an egg casserole, and we have fresh fruit, cinnamon rolls, bagels, etc. We sip our coffee and enjoy a slow, peaceful start to our Christmas morning. It is my favorite part of our family’s Christmas every year.
I like Lindsey’s Bethlehem canvas, both of her campfire mugs, the Little Treat Stamp and basically everything else!
Mhmmm. Let’s kick that stressful to-do list to the curb this season and enjoy and celebrate what this time of the year is all about!
Every Christmas Eve me and my sister are given pajamas and slippers to wear! That’s always been one of my favorite traditions! We also get ornaments every year that document something we did that year. Little, but fun things!
Loved all your heart thoughts friend! You are so beautiful!
Ok… I love that pocket square phone case.
Favorite holiday traditions: LOTS of cookie baking, hot potato soup on Christmas Eve, and laying under the tree looking up at the lights, with a cozy blanket, of course.
LINDSAY LETTERS: I love all the canvas options: Thankful Canvas, One Nation Canvas and Pine on Snow Watercolor! — They are all sooooo pretty!
I love what you have to say and your vulnerability in this post, Beth! It’s definitely something I’m practicing, too. One thing I do, as I continue to lean on Jesus, is also remind myself how little I notice or care when I go over to a friend’s house and not everything is perfect. How that can sometimes make me feel more at ease and more comfortable and how I would 100% rather be sitting there in a less than perfect living room (that I barely notice) with them than I would to not be able to spend time with them because they were too concerned about being perfect. I am always praying that Jesus would remind me of that every time I want to stop myself from inviting someone over because our house doesn’t meet my standards.
Every year I bake biscotti with my mom!