Christmas time is a season of beauty and hope for many people. We celebrate this season with beauty; decorations, food, family, friends, and traditions. We also celebrate this season with hope. Little children hope for their favorite present. Adults hope for some magical rest.
For some, the season is anything but beautiful and filled with hope. The glowing lights, decorations, food, family, and friends only increase the pain of the season.
We can look at this time of Christmas hope from both perspectives and see past it into the eternity that God is preparing for us. If you love this time of year and all the beauty that it processes, just think of the glorious beauty that awaits in eternity. Remember that these earthly homes, no matter if they are a sanctuary for you or not, are simply a shallow box in comparison to the multi-layered, glorious paradise awaiting in heaven.
It’s often during seasons of joy or turmoil that our self-care gets thrown to the wayside.
I hate the term self-care. Not because it is not needed, but because it’s often elevated to a place of such importance that it becomes the ultimate. The ultimate is not us. The ultimate is Jesus Christ. The ultimate is turning my affections, my life, and my dreams toward the sustainer and redeemer of my life.
When we focus on self-care with the intention of finding rest in ourselves, we will eventually fail. It may not be right away but finding rest in ourselves will not fulfill us because we fail. We sin. However, if we practice self-care for the purpose of finding rest in Jesus Christ, who is the only and ultimate rest, we will find true rest.
It’s during this season that we have a choice. A choice to care for our body, our home, our children, and our spouse. You have the choice!
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 Corinthians 5:1 ESV
These bodies that we have been given are not perfect. Chances are that if you are a woman, you have wrestled with deep feelings of inadequacy. We long to be beautiful and fulfilled.
When we don’t feel those things, we look for different things to fill our soul. In jobs, families, friends, stuff, and tasks. Yet those things will never truly satisfy our hearts. They may bring a twisted form of contentment, but they will not make our hearts whole. The only thing in this world that will do that is the mystery of that babe in the manger. He will satisfy you this Christmas.
Mama, take care of yourself this Christmas season. Eat all the delicious foods without guilt (within reason of course!), find contentment in Jesus, relish the joy of special family time, and know that you truly are beautiful.
May you have a wonderful Christmas!
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