Less stress more joy - Loved, chosen, & empowered

First, I must tell you how FUN it is to share today’s content with you as Peyton was my editor at iBelieve for some time. I love how God allows connections to form and remain in this industry! But, enough of my sentimentality.

When Christmas Feels Exhausting

by Peyton Garland

“I don’t enjoy Christmas anymore,” I told my husband just this year. There have been so many hurt feelings stirred between family members, so many endless demands to bend to others’ holiday schedules, that I spend Christmas surviving, not celebrating. But I don’t want that, especially for my son who needs to know that this holiday is centered on our salvation—our reason for joy, no matter the season.

So where is my disconnect? What am I lacking to feel and appreciate Christmas deep in my soul?

Vulnerability.

2 Corinthians 8:21 reminds us, “For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.” Notice, we are called to do what is right—to be lovingly open and honest with others and ourselves included.

True connection requires vulnerability, which demands that you get a bit uncomfortable. It asks you to share the pieces of yourself that aren’t always right or put together. Connection won’t allot extra time for you to create a presentable version of yourself because it wants more from you than a mere presentation. Connection needs authenticity that will sustain relationships long after the curtains close and the audience goes home.

The answer to unlocking true connection is prayer. It’s honest, open, holding-nothing-back conversations with God. It requires you to silence the electronic devices and be uncomfortable in the quiet, letting God have a turn to share what your soul needs to change for the better.

Your response to prayer is vital in determining just how rooted you stay in Christ and how connected you stay with others this busy season. When your response to prayer is repentance, your heart softens. It gives way to honest, encouraging conversations with others. It fosters better patience with family, friends, and coworkers.

When there’s nothing to mask, there’s no hidden exhaustion from creating, presenting, and maintaining a false persona that your heart knows is fake.

This Christmas, don’t neglect the joy of your salvation to check off all the holiday to-do’s. Set reasonable boundaries for your family to protect the true meaning of this season: soul-filled peace.

Of course, this isn’t a free ticket to be hateful or rude to others, but recognize when you are sacrificing the spiritual well-being of yourself and your family to please others. Be honest, even if it’s uncomfortable, when you must say, “Our family is maxed out right now. Unfortunately, we can’t come.”

Instead of obeying a hectic schedule solely for the sake of always seeming prepared enough to do all the things, create traditions rooted in intimacy and slower evenings, traditions centered on celebrating Jesus and honoring His blessing of life-giving family and friends.

Let true connection keep you grounded this Christmas season, as truth fills your heart and stills your mind to take in the vulnerable beauty of the Savior in a manger.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Get to Know Peyton Garland:

Peyton Garland is an author, editor, and boy mama who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee. Subscribe to her blog Uncured+Okay for more encouragement.

Check Out Her Book, Tired, Hungry, and Kinda Faithful: Where Exhaustion and Exile Meet God:

“For I know the plans I have for—”

No doubt, you know that Jeremiah 29:11 is all about a promising future for the believer. But what about Jeremiah 29:14, which tells us God will drive his children into a treacherous exile—the very place he wants to be found?

How can exile offer hope? Why would a good God force his beloved into life’s wastelands? Often, our Christian bubbles water down the answer to surviving on life’s grim, bland manna, but what if the wilderness isn’t as draining and barren as we thought? What if we are called to exile’s supposed desolation to, instead, discover God’s vibrant works in the most impossible situations?

If you are juggling spiritual and physical hunger, exhaustion, and a mediocre faith that constantly thirsts for more of God’s true nature, I invite you to traverse both lush and lacking terrains as we discover an even brighter, more real picture of God’s goodness.

For more encouragement and tips on creating the Christmas your heart and soul needs, check out the Faith Over Fear episode titled “Anxiety and Stress Threatening Your Christmas? Practical Steps to Find Holiday Peace“

Why God Might Feel Distant and How to Connect With Him More Deeply – Faith Over Fear

Have you ever wondered why God can feel distant even when you genuinely love Him and want a close relationship with Him? Past experiences of rejection, emotional distance or unmet needs can affect how we relate to others—and how we experience our relationship with God. Jennifer Slattery talks with author, speaker and Anglican priest Reverend Summer Joy Gross about attachment, anxiety and the fears that can leave us questioning whether God is truly attentive, responsive and engaged with us. Summer shares how understanding attachment helped her recognize some of the fears beneath her own people-pleasing and anxiety and how God has been leading her toward greater security in His love. Together, she and Jennifer discuss the pressure to approach God correctly, why we don't have to chase Him or earn deeper connection with Him and how healing often occurs slowly, one encounter with God at a time. Discover how you can bring your full, messy self to God, receive His compassionate presence and increasingly experience the secure, unchanging love of the One who continually draws near. Scripture discussed or referenced: Ezekiel 36:26; Psalm 46:10; Luke 15:3–7, 11–32; Psalms (David’s laments); Mark 10:13–16; Philippians 1:6; Isaiah 51:14 Resource referenced: Emmanuel Promise: Discovering the Security of a Life Held by God by Summer Joy Gross Find Summer Joy Gross: On her website On Instagram On Facebook Find Jennifer Slattery: On her website Instagram Facebook Amazon Subscribe to her free newsletter Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.