Christmas Countdown 2020 Day 21

I was chatting with a friend this morning and we commented that we have a zillion things we need to do between now and Christmas Day that probably no one in our circle would notice if we missed doing them. 

Can you relate? 

The details of how meals, gifts and a clean house will come about are something at least my friend and I have taken upon ourselves for so many years, we just assume they have to be done.

And honestly, we wouldn’t do it any other way. Whether anyone notices or not, this is how we do Christmas and it is a precious tradition to a mom’s heart. The Christmas Eve and Christmas morning routine that got established over here in our house matters to the fabric of my soul and it is my gift of love to our family.

So I have a short list and a long list and a plan in place. Most of the groceries are gathered, I need to peruse the stockings to make sure no one got shorted and make this place welcoming to the one lone bird who will return for overnighting with us for the holidays and the six who will join us for Christmas Eve chaos. 

So since we are all in crunch mode, I am thankful that Paul grows succinct in the closing words of his letter to the Thessalonians. 

He reminds me of a mom standing at the door as her child leaves for college.

Short thoughts are blurted out with a desperate prayer that they will be taken to heart and heeded. We touched on a few yesterday so will start with those:

• Live in peace with each other.
• Encourage the people who are afraid.
• Help those who are weak.
• Be patient with everyone. 
• Always be joyful. 
• Pray continually. 
• Give thanks whatever happens. 
• Do not hold back the work of the Holy Spirit. 
• Do not treat prophecy as if it doesn’t matter. 
• Test everything. 
• Keep what is good. 
• Stay away for everything that is evil. 
• Pray for us. 

For Paul who was the master of run-on sentences (and I might add…I rather like that about him), these quick offerings of how to live are so easy to understand and yet so hard to apply at times. 

Perhaps you could jot down one or two that are speaking directly to you and carry them at the top of your To Do list today. 

As you finish the details of preparing your hearts and homes for Christmas or just do your job at your desk…meditate on the ones you selected and ask God to teach you how to apply that to your life. 

In the meantime, I have miles to go … literally…so I will see you back here tomorrow <3