16 Ways to Love with Fresh Faith
Flowers, candy, cards, and teddy bears–who doesn’t enjoy these fun ways to show your Valentine how much you love them? Especially the chocolate, right?
Definitely the chocolate.
It’s the love expressed with the gift that matters.
Love holds the power to create joy, heal hearts, inspire laughter, and strengthen relationships.
We all need to know that we are loved. As much as we thrive on receiving love, God’s Word makes it clear that loving others is the bigger deal.
It’s not all about me.
Unfortunately.
Sounds like a no-brainer. Most of us have been around a long enough to know the Sunday-school answers. But loving one another doesn’t come in pat answers and cookie-cutter moments. To be honest, I’ve got a stubborn streak of all-about-me-DNA that breaks loose every now and then.
When our focus is on ourselves, we’re all about getting our need for love met in just the way we like it. It is the love of Christ that frees us from the “what’s-in-it-for-me” mindset in our relationships. Fresh faith is the power to love others God’s way.
A fresh take on Valentine’s Day
This year, let’s reach beyond the cards and the candy. Love that fill’s hearts and changes lives is best described in 1 Corinthians 13. Consider these practical ways to love others better. I’ve written these verses as a list.
None of these ways to love comes naturally. I wish it did. Especially last week when my husband wanted to go test-drive cars after dinner. Noooooo…. not the Toyota dealership!
No thank you, I’d rather stay home and clip my toenails.
Being the loving wife, I pasted on my sure-I’d-love-not-really smile. Oh the sacrifices we make for love, right? I didn’t get 10 steps out the door before God was giving me a good nudge–a begrudging attitude isn’t showing love, is it?
Busted.
“For you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another…”–1 Thessalonians 4:9
Taught by God.
To love.
One another.
So we aren’t set loose with the big commandment to love people, trying to figure it out on our own. Think about a relationship that’s challenging at the moment. How could your attitude change if you reframe your perspective from a battle zone to a training ground?
Patience is rarely easy and kindness is too often simply a good intention when tempers flair or words hurt.
Love Keeps Relationships Fresh
The word love in 1 Corinthians is translated in the Greek as agape.
- This is a self-giving love without expecting anything in return.
- Agape is love that can be given to the most undeserving folks.
- Think of the meanest person you know–agape can love them.
- It is a love that carries on even when disappointed or rejected for it doesn’t love in order to get.
- This agape love is far more than a feeling for it chooses self-denial for the sake of someone else.
When my life is all about me, agape is impossible.
It is the power of Christ that frees us from the deep need that wants to love in order to get, to love for the sake of self. This is how we love others with faith that is fresh and real.
Love is where the spiritual meets the practical right in the middle of everything.
[tweetthis]Choose to love in the nitty-gritty daily moments.[/tweetthis]
When the husband forgets to take out the trash, choose patience. When you are frustrated, choose kindness.
Receive this agape from Christ, and let it refresh the choices you make. Filling up with God’s love energizes the words you say and how you spend your time. When your friend seems to have the perfect home, refuse to be envious.
When love is difficult, hold on to hope with [tweetthis]When love is difficult, hold on to hope with fresh faith.[/tweetthis].
Thought by thought, word by word, and action by action let love seep out of your conversations. Love softens your touch and brings strength to your convictions. Let love inspire the words you say and how you spend your time. Seek love in your actions and the decisions you make.
Take it one moment at a time, depending on Christ to empower you to give your very best self in loving others.
Even as I have loved you...there is only one place to find agape. Only one source for the love we crave. Receive the fresh love of Christ and choose to love one another well.
Which one of these loving ways comes easiest for you? Which ones are the most challenging?
Enjoy fun quotes graphics on love here.
How to Know What to Say When Hard Things Happen
Pouring a cup of coffee, I relish the steamy aroma. There’s a sweet morning pleasure of that first sip of coffee. It’s going to be a great day. Glancing at my phone on the counter, I check to see if there are any messages.
Up pops a message from my daughter, the one who recently left home to go to college.
My heart stops.
My great day start slams into the unexpected shock of tragic news.
“Mom, my friend’s dad died last night. Idk what to say.”
Tears well as I take it in. I know this child and their family lives in our neighborhood, and my heart grieves at the magnitude of this loss.
Again, I read my daughter’s text. Through the letters on the screen, I know her heart. Caring for her friend, but unsure how to respond. I’ve felt that way at times, haven’t you?
- How to encourage without sounding trite?
- How to overcome the fear of sticking my foot in my mouth?
- How to avoid tripping all over someone’s tender heart with clumsy good intentions?
I’m not a pro at this by any means, but here’s what God has been teaching me about meaningful encouragement.
It’s okay not to know what to say, but don’t leave it there.
4 Things to Remember When Comforting a Friend
1. First of all pray…
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints… Ephesians 6:18
Let’s ask God to train our hearts that our first response is prayer. Pray for help, pray for healing, pray for peace, pray for wisdom, pray for words…
Too often we sigh, “There’s nothing left to do now but pray.” As if prayer is a last resort when all of our efforts and remedies have failed. How would our responses be different if we pray first, asking God to show us what to do and say next?
Cultivate the holy habit of PRAY FIRST.
A great verse to pray:
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
2. Love one another.
Knowing my girl was now in class, I texted her back, “Let her know you care. Come alongside with love.”
Visit, email, text, FB message, snail mail–reach out and show you care in whatever way you have at your fingertips. Don’t wait for tomorrow or for when you have more time. Just connect and support. Reach out. Don’t wait for someone else to do it.
3. Resist the pressure to fix.
You don’t have to have the answers or be able to solve the problem–we don’t have that kind of power and last time I checked, magic wands were not available at Walmart. Some days, I’d really love to have a magic wand…
I’m the kind of person who assumes emotional responsibility for others. When I can’t make things better, my go-to internal response is anxiety. I’m sure there’s some lofty psycho-babble term for this, but the struggle is real. If I can’t make it better, I can at least to a bang-up job of worrying about it.
I’m slowly learning to recognize and let go of that self-imposed pressure to make problems go away. I’m learning to simply be…
Be supportive. Be loving. Be prayerful. Be helpful.
4. Look and listen for God’s lead.
Prayerfully listen to the ideas that niggle at your heart, the suggestions that press into your thoughts. Look to see opportunities God opens. He knows what is needed and how you can best help.
The most effective comfort begins in the heart of God.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. —1 Corinthians 1:3-4
A few ways God may lead you to respond:
- physical help–childcare, meals, knowledge, or transportation
- emotional care–listen, encourage, or be present
- spiritual support: pray deeply, give scripture, or share your own relevant struggle
When we follow the Spirit’s leading, God works through us to support others in a way that is the best for this person and this moment.
[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#helpafriend #encouragement”]Every situation is different and cookie-cutter answers lack the power of God at work.[/tweetthis]
When the Holy Spirit moves, He is never trite.
Never insincere.
Never too busy.
And never too late.
This is why prayer is our first and best response. Without prayer, we may miss the stirrings and promptings of the Holy Spirit.
When we invite God in and trust Him to lead,
we have the privilege to be God’s hands and feet,
sharing His heart in a moment of need.
How do you help a friend in hard times? Your idea may be just the thing someone needs to read today.
How to Find Fresh Faith for Your New Year
The beginning of a new year can be a holy time of profound opportunity. Stretched out before us are months, fresh and unwritten as the blank pages of a new calendar. Waiting for us are experiences yet to be lived, adventures yet to be enjoyed, and blessings yet to be discovered.
Starting out with fresh faith.
There’s such possibility in the start of a year.
Some of us jump into all of this open possibility with the best of intentions and maybe even some resolutions and goals. We race into plans to organize, improve, shape up, slim down…or whatever happens to have made our list of goals.
But sometimes we can get stuck. Have you ever felt stalled, hesitating at the edge of all this potential? For some, possibility twists into pressure, when our eyes are on our failures and our ears are only listening to the critical voices that chatter in our heads.
New Year’s resolutions and goals can make projects of personalities, as if our true selves are something we must shape and mold to perfection with the right choices and greater discipline.
- Better eating habits
- Exercise more regularly
- Get up earlier
- Be more organized
- Be more patient
- Stop worrying
Sound familiar?
Goals and resolutions have value, but are we aiming for perfection rather than growth? When our goals become entrenched in fixing what’s broken and righting what’s wrong, good intentions can become a weight of condemnation hanging around our necks.
Is this the way God wants us to begin this year?
Over-focus on self-improvement can narrow our vision to faults, lacks, and mistakes. If you find yourself always making goals from a negative perspective, it may be time to try a new way of making goals.
Maybe it’s time to let go of a pass or fail mentality of measuring up and remember once again that we are saved by grace and filled with faith by the power of Christ. It may be time to rediscover the power of small changes and simple holiness wrapped in each day.
Fresh faith for your new year.
After all, this year is a significant portion in God’s plan for our lives. He can do a lot with 365 days, which is 8760 hours. So even though I am making goals for myself this year, I am embracing fresh reminders of God’s truth. I’m shifting my perspective from self-improvement to what God desires to work in my life this year.
[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#NewYear #Faith #Goals”]Isn’t it time to break free from the get-it-all-together mentality?[/tweetthis]
This year, let’s break free from the get-it-all-together mentality, trusting God to work on what pleases Him.
Let these words refresh your focus:
It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.
Long before we first heard of Christ,….he had his eye on us,
had designs on us for glorious living,
part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.–Ephesians 1:11 MSG
God’s design for glorious living–now that sounds like a fabulous year! His work is the truest source of fresh faith and holy living.
[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#Faith, #resolutions, #newyeargoals”]Discover the holiness of God’s vision for this year.[/tweetthis]
Oswald Chambers explains the importance of seeking God’s vision rather than our self-improvement plans:
“We simply begin to act on our own initiative. If we are eating only out of our own hand, and doing things solely on our own initiative without expecting God to come in, we are on a downward path. We have lost the vision. Is our attitude today an attitude that flows from our vision of God? Are we expecting God to do greater things than He has ever done before? Is there a freshness and a vitality in our spiritual outlook?” My Utmost for His Highest, May 9.
Let’s encourage one another to trust God to work His will and purpose in our lives. This is the nudge of fresh faith to remember.
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.–Philippians 2:13 NLT
Fresh words to set your heart free.
Holiness comes as God gives us the desire and the ability (power) to do what pleases Him. So we can stop holding our breath and experience the God-rhythm of grace each day.
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6 NASB.
Too often, I get side-tracked, wanting to be perfect, or at least the very best I can make myself. But perfect in this verse means to complete. This is the year to enter with confidence of fresh faith. Join Paul and proclaim with a joyful heart: I am confident because I know God is completing and working in me for His very good purposes. This kind of confidence changes the landscape of our hearts, freeing us from fear.
Friend, as you begin this year, take a little time to ask God to place His desires and fresh faith in your heart. Find delight in His presence knowing that His work in your heart is the work that is bringing everything together, holy and whole.
What’s one way you are trusting God to work in you this year? Holy in the Moment will help you make intentional choices to unleash God’s best in your life this year! You can find out more here.
*This post contains an affiliate link at no cost to you.
Fear Fighting: Are you a People Pleaser?
Today I’m excited to share a guest post from my friend, Kelly Balarie of Purposeful Faith. This is launch week Kelly’s book Fear Fighting: Awakening Courage to Overcome Your Fears. I’ve been reading Kelly’s blog for several years, and it’s such fun to help with the launch of her book. I’ve had my own struggles with fighting fear, so I’ve been looking forward to the release of this book.
Here’s Kelly Balarie:
God told me to pray with all my heart. So, I did. I don’t think they liked it very much.
I think they had thoughts about it. Opinions. Perspectives. Perceptions.
Ouch!
What do you do when God prompts your heart, but man judges it? They may not say it. They may not whisper it. They may not even admit it, but somehow you know, under the cover of their Christian guise it brews. What do you do with that?
This is what I’ve been considering. Do I take care of man or do I take care to follow God’s lead?
There’s risk, big risk, in following God. Moving outside norms, beyond bounds or having an air of “different” can feel like a punishment waiting to happen. It can feel like you’re letting people down. It can feel like their charge over you marks you condemned.
Even more, the fear of being judged, ostracized or talked about behind your back – is real. It is really real. Even worse, in some cases, it is likely to happen. Add that to the enemy, who spits out ugly words, like: “Bad child, you are messing things up and stirring up problems,” and, at this point, you can be thrown into the sea of doubt, in a split-second.
Still, I want to do what is right by God, don’t you? I want to live for Him – first. I want to answer to Him – above all. I want to be like Christ – in every way.
God knows, I want to be brave. I think he sees my heart. So, like a gracious father, He leads me, his child, to truth; He brings me to these words:
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. Gal. 1:10
I can either with the approval of man. It’s fleeting and tiring.
Or, I can win the approval of God. It’s enduring and up building.
I can either please people. It’s short-lived and peace-depleting.
Or, I can serve Christ. It’s long-lasting and peace-giving.
What man gives today, is gone tomorrow. What you put in to satiating him, is eaten up by his desires for more – the next day. However, the will of God, does not waver. It does not grow old. It does not change course. It has a destination. There, lives joy, His glory and grand purpose.
Will we push into it? We can’t do it if we are sitting on man’s lap and eating up the delight of his face of approval. Jesus didn’t get a face of approval on the cross. His on-fire pursuit of doing God’s appeared nuts to man. It appeared worthy of their highest condemnation.
Still, Jesus didn’t change course. He stood fast to his belief in what his Father had called him to. He walked the road assigned to him, anyway.
What road do you need to walk anyway?
What person’s demands do you need to release?
What calling of love do you need to pursue?
Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. Jo. 12:26
[tweetthis twitter_handles=”via @kellybalarie” hidden_hashtags=”#FearFighting #overcomefear”]Overcoming the fear of pleasing people is worth the fight![/tweetthis]
About the book, Fear Fighting, Awakening the Courage to Overcome Your Fears:
Author and Speaker, Kelly Balarie didn’t always fight fear – for a large part of her life, she was controlled by it. Yet, in her book, Fear Fighting: Awakening Courage to Overcome Your Fears, with God, Kelly charts a new course. Join Kelly, on the journey to go and grow with Christ’s bravery, the Spirit’s counsel and God’s unending love that squelches fear. This book reads like a love letter from God, while offering practical heart-calming prayers, anxiety-reducing tips, and courage-building decrees that will transform your day.
About Kelly Balarie:
Kelly is both a Cheerleader of Faith and a Fighter of Fear. She leans on the power of God, rests on the shoulder of Christ, and discovers how to glow in the dark places of life. Get all Kelly’s blog posts by email or visit her on her blog, Purposeful Faith. You can also find a variety of resources for your fight against fear at http://www.fearfightingbook.com/.
Best of the Blog for 2016
Here we are, closing out the year with a look at what’s new and what’s popular on the blog this year. As we stand on the brink of a new year, reviewing what we’ve accomplished, learned, and enjoyed is a good practice. The end of a year is a time to celebrate gains and learn from struggles. For me, looking back helps me to renew focus and vision for the new year. Join me for a look at the most popular posts this year.
Words to encourage your heart, strengthen your soul, and ignite your faith. Check out this post for an overview of the blog vision and structure. Here you’ll find a break down of the three main categories with links to specific articles.
For the past six years, Ginger’s Corner: Where the Spiritual Meets the Practical has been the tag line for this blog. It’s time for a fresh change.
Fresh Vision
Living out what we believe, trusting God in all our moments brings joy to our lives. In Christ, the power of Holy Spirit is present every day. Every. Single. One.
Let the spiritual meet the practical in your life, keeping faith fresh for today. Love God, embrace truth, and enjoy life–three simple ways to find fresh faith.
Why Fresh Faith?
God invites us to experience fresh faith, right where the spiritual meets the practical in our lives. Celebrate life with holy habits that make a difference for today and for eternity. God invites us all to discover anew the joy of fresh faith.
Most Popular Blog Posts from 2016
Strategies and Scriptures to Combat Negative Thinking: With Free eBook
-spiritual growth
Negative thinking will not go away on its own. Toxic thoughts will not straighten up and decide to play nice. Let unattended, our thoughts will run rampant with complaints, fears, criticisms, envy, bitterness… Take your pick–there’s plenty to choose from.
Cleaning our mental closets doesn’t come easy. Try these strategies to stop negative thinking. Just a warning: this is NOT a one-time thing.
Combat negative thinking with these practical strategies:
Awareness is the first step to making better choices with our thoughts, words, and actions. Think about what you’re thinking about.
When negative thoughts bombard your mind, choose to reject toxic thinking.
Bring your thoughts under the control of the Holy Spirit.
Pray like crazy. Ask God to help you think in ways that honor him, others, and yourself.
Memorize a few key verses to replace toxic thoughts with gratitude and truth.
Click here to read more.
14 Things I’d Say to My Younger Self About Being a Mom
-parenting
You can do this. You don’t have to be an expert to begin the parenting journey. You will learn and grow far more than you can imagine at this moment. You can do lot’s of mommy things and you have wisdom in your heart. You are stronger than you know.(Philippians 4:13).
Trust God to grow you into the best parent you can be. Parenting isn’t just for raising children–it is also for growing up parents. Never forget that God has entrusted you with children and will help you where you struggle if you will seek Him diligently (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Pray every day. Pray for your children, for your parenting, and your marriage daily. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray and give you wisdom (Philippians 4:6-7).
Teach your children to love God and live by His word. No one can teach your children the blessing of following God like you can. Keep His words in your heart and in your conversation. Read them Bible stories and point out God’s faithfulness in the little things each day (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).
Be willing to wait. Today is not the end of the story. Some days and phases seem to inch along. Your baby will sleep through the night someday. The days of tantrums will pass. There will come a day when your child no will longer cling to your leg or grab hold of your shirt with messy hands. All the hard things will pass as you both grow through them. Be willing to wait and let nurture, time, and wisdom do it’s job. Some days may seem long, but the years are short. (Galatians 6:9)
Click here to read more
Reflections of a Reluctant List Maker
-humor
The power of THE LIST.
My mother’s list had power.
Pop-Eye ate spinach, Superman had a cape, and my mother moved mountains with THE LIST.
She never left the house without THE LIST.
Do I hear an “Amen” from the compulsive list makers in the house?
The wonder of THE LIST.
Like many children watching the strange ways of adults, I simply didn’t understand the value of keeping a list.
I was often frustrated with my mother’s sacred LIST. “I’m never going to drive my kids nuts, forcing them to put every detail on a list,” I foolishly vowed in my teen years. “When I leave this house, that is going to be the end of THE LIST!”
I wish I hadn’t said that. Hence the reflections of a reluctant list maker.
Click here to read more.
Do You Have Spiritual ADD?
-spiritual growth
Do you have spiritual ADD? Spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder?
Distractions often keep us from focusing on God. Our minds wander. We wonder why our relationship with God feels distant.
For so long, I thought time with God had to be a certain way with a specific time and formula. It had to be quiet, with everything else stopped and put away. Too often, that quiet didn’t come.
And I felt guilty.
I felt lacking and displeasing to God.
I felt like a spiritual failure, as if God was depending on me to do everything just so.
I teach Sunday school for teens. Most of them read the Bible on their phones. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s so easy to begin with a good intention of focusing on God. And then just a quick look at texts, email, or FB messages. It is not only teens that struggle to develop spiritual concentration.
Quite possibly, we are the most distracted generation with all of our instant news, technology, gadgets, schedules, and activities. And it is even worse for our children who have cut their teeth on texting and social media.
Distractions hinder our ability to relate to God.
How many times have we sat down to pray and read Scripture only to have the duties of the day barge in with “Don’t forget to do this…and that… oh and this—better stop and do this one right now.” What if we begin to understand that prayer is part of being present with Christ?
Maybe we try to get up early to spend time with God and find ourselves drifting back to sleep. Can you relate?
Click here to read more.
When You Are Desperate to Be Forgiven
-spiritual encouragement
She’s a woman with a past ruined with hard living and bad choices. She can’t remember the last time she could walk down the street free from the weight of shame. When was the last time life was good and hope seemed real?
When did she become desperate for forgiveness?
Hanging her head, she tries to slip by unseen. Women stand outside houses chattering about their children as the hot sun beats down. She feels even more alone.
She walks faster as the women notice her. She’d run if she could, just to avoid the pain of facing what she’s become. She is notorious, a wicked sinner—probably the worst in town. Fingers point as pleasant talk turns harsh with snide comments. Over the sound of the breeze, she can hear the condemning gossipers listing off her latest sins.
They’re not saying anything worse than she says to herself.
How can she find forgiveness to start over, when she can’t even forgive herself?
If hopeless was an ocean, she’d be drowning.
Click here to read more.
Recommend GingerHarrington.com to your friends by sharing this post on social media. We often find our favorite resources from word-of-mouth recommendations of friends. Thanks so much for sharing!
[tweetthis]I’m keeping faith fresh with the Best of the Blog 2016 from GingerHarrington.com.[/tweetthis]
Three Simple Ways to Keep Faith Fresh This Christmas
We want to keep Christ the center of Christmas, but it can be hard to keep faith fresh at Christmas. Distracted and busy, it’s all too easy to lose sight of the reason we celebrate Christmas. We look for simple ways to keep faith fresh at Christmas.
December days can whip up a massive case of the busys.
Parties to attend, people to see, gifts to buy, cards to send, cookies to bake… Festive can easily turn into frantic.
Somewhere in the muddle of all the need-to-do’s, have-to-do’s, and want-to-do’s, we find ourselves feeling disconnected and distant from the very Savior we celebrate.
Keep the Holy in Your Holiday
Every year, we say, “This year will be different,” thinking greater organization will create more time to relish the wonder of an infinite God entering our world as an infant.
However, as much as we love all of the festivity Christmas brings, we need more than plan to stay focused on Christ and keep the chaos under control.
We need a change of heart. [tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#Christmasideas”]Three simple ways to keep faith fresh this Christmas can add new life to your holiday.[/tweetthis]
Three Simple Ways to Keep Faith Fresh This Christmas
Together, let’s ask God to refresh our hearts. We can keep our attention on the holy, rather than squeeze devotion into any left over moments. Time doesn’t come in leftovers, particularly this time of year.
Finding balance begins with setting priorities and evaluating expectations.
1. Invite God’s presence each day this Advent season.
What if we all begin each day with an invitation, even before we’re out of bed? “Father, I invite you into this day. Keep my heart grounded and my steps in line with you today. In all the things I do today, help me to follow your leadership.”
During busy December days, it’s tempting to forgo time spent with God. December can be a good time to change your devotional routine, inviting something fresh. Try one of these quick ideas to keep your time with God focused and fresh this Christmas.
- Take the Worship Challenge for short devotions to inspire a worshipful heart.
- Try a One Thing Journal. Read a passage and write down one thing to reflect on. Short can be deep if we reflect on that one thing through out the day.
- Read Psalms and focus on worshipping Christ as you read. Look for ways to praise and rejoice.
- Give the gift of prayer. Read a short passage of Scripture and pray one of the verses for one person each day.
2. Let go of perfectionism of a perfect holiday.
As women, we often approach Christmas with a high level of responsibility, feeling like it is all on us to create the perfect holiday for our families. Please tell me I’m not the only one who has felt this…
When our children were small, I remember staying up late and feeling the push to do it all. Decorating, baking, gift-making, wrapping, activities, service projects, devotions, crafts….
You name it, we did it.
We have many wonderful memories and I don’t regret all of that. I’m just acknowledging perfectionism, that desire to create constant picture-perfect moments can be exhausting. The more perfectionism drives my daily goals, the less time I have to focus on faith during Christmas. Have you felt the pressure of your own expectations to make sure Christmas is a special time for everyone?
This is a time of year when good can distract us from best.
- Take time to prayerfully plan for what is most important for your family this Christmas. Schedule the most important things so you make time for them.
- Invite God into your planning, seeking His wisdom for a pace that will work for you and your family this year.
- Examine your expectations of what Christmas should be like, and be willing to let go of that “perfect holiday” mindset.
3. Don’t do it all yourself.
Involve your family in planning and preparing for activities, meals, and celebrations. Establish a “work together” tradition. This simple idea will free up time for sacred traditions as well as fun activities.
Time spent together in preparations can provide some great moments. Whenever my kids help me cook, we have good conversations. There’s something about working side-by-side that can get kids talking.
Your kids can add a different twist and new ideas to your Christmas preparations. Our family usually sends a family picture with our Christmas card. Some years, taking that family Christmas card photo involved a lot of stress and strife of wiggly kids and unwilling teens.
- After taking the “pretty” Christmas card picture, the one where everyone is smiling and looking at the camera, we let the kids loose for fun pictures. The results created some hilarious moments.
- Draw family names for mystery gifts of service each week in December. Try to guess who had your name.
- Designate a daily “helper elf” to help you do some of the extra tasks at Christmas. Let the helper elf have a special privilege makes it fun. You can even get an elf hat at a party supply store to make it extra fun for younger kids.
Staying focused on Christ and keeping a sane schedule keeps faith fresh during the Advent season. There are many ways to celebrate Christmas that add meaning and worship to your holiday. Inviting God into each day, letting go of perfectionism, and sharing responsibilities are three simple concepts to add faith and vitality to your Christmas this year.
How do you keep faith fresh at Christmas?
Merry Christmas, Friend!
Be sure to download my Christmas gifts for you– a free Christmas devotional and free chapter from Holy in the Moment!
Get a Free Christmas Devotional from Ginger.
Hope to Light Your World
Light shines joy and love throughout the Christmas season, but it is also the power of God at work overcoming the darkness. Has the pace of life threatened to eclipse the true light of Christmas, as worshipping the Christ-child becomes one of many loved traditions of the season? Bask in the light of Christ this Christmas with a selection of devotions to inspire light and hope in your heart. Enjoy this free gift to inspire your heart this Christmas.
Free Chapter with a Christmas Miracle
Read the story of a Christmas miracle I experienced in the first chapter of my award-winning book, Holy in the Moment. You’ll read a poignant story from one challenging Christmas in my life at the end of the first chapter. Read the story of what happened here. Give the gift of holy this Christmas–Holy in the Moment makes a wonderful gift to encourage faith in a practical way. Learn more about the book here.
Download your free chapter here.
More Christmas Posts to Enjoy
Enjoy a collection of my Christmas posts and series over the years. I’ve put them all in one place to make it easy to find inspiring content. Some are humorous and others devotional, so enjoy! Click here to go to this post.
Coming Home: Finding Joy When You’re Waiting for Your Children
I am waiting for my daughter to come home.
It is the waiting that has counted days. It is the waiting that comes with letting go of children. This year, God has taught me how to find joy in the waiting.
Last January, my girl, a winsome, huge-hearted girl boarded a plane. Only 20, she left for Australia to serve as a missionary with YWAM. When she left, a year felt like forever to this mamma’s heart.
In the early of that January morning, God put these words in my heart:
Be still and be in this moment. Know that I am your God–your helper and strength. I am your source and your blessing.
Open your hands–to let go as well as to receive.
I began this year opening my hands to hold onto God rather than cling to what I cannot keep. In a way, this is hoarding the past and this was a time for something new.
Discovering joy in waiting.
One spring day I am at the sink washing dishes and missing my girl. She’s been gone for months, but still so many left to go. Letting go of our children is a brave act.
Lord, how do I do this when I miss her so much?
Focus on what you are gaining rather than on what you are missing. Insight, clear and strong, and I know I am hearing God speak in my thoughts, right in the middle of the ache and the missing.
Let your missing turn to praise for what I am doing in her life.
There at the altar of an ordinary sink, hands wet and warm-soapy, I lay down the heaviness. My heart fills with joy as I remember the wonder of God at work.
Brave and bold, she walks in the slums of Manilla and the dusty roads of desolate Outback communities. She is learning to know God for herself. God is teaching her to pray with faith that heals broken hearts and has restored hearing to deaf ears. She has learned to give of herself in the mundane and the miraculous.
As I remember conversations where she tells stories of what God is doing, the ache fills with joy. Looking at the glass in my hand, empty and ready to be washed, I see my heart, choosing the holy in the longing, ready to be filled.
Holding the glass under the faucet, I sense joy rise, making room in my heart for the wonder of a loving God molding and shaping my child into a woman after His heart.
Shifting my perspective has opened my heart to receive joy.
Moving the glass under the faucet’s flow, I discover that choosing to praise places me under the flow of living water. It is real joy, not a look-on-the-bright-side forced joy. It is not trying to be joyful— you know when you should feel joy, try to feel joy…you go through the motions, but it doesn’t quite come?
Joy cannot be manufactured.
Joy is received.
Sunlight streams into the kitchen as the sun emerges from behind a passing cloud. This joy is deep, requiring an inhale of my soul to take it all in. All the emotion and the longing is still there, an emptiness being filled with wonder of the love of God. A holy exchange is taking place.
One I didn’t earn by doing it right.
Like the glass in my hand, I simply opened my heart and invited Jesus into what I was feeling. Open before him, I am filled with joy like water, washing away the ache of missing.
Let your missing turn your heart to praise. For in your missing I am working.
Then I know.
God is teaching me how to wait.
This is one of the keys to the waiting and the missing. [tweetthis]Laying it down, inviting the Spirit in, choosing to praise are the sacred actions of a heart ready to receive.[/tweetthis]
In the months that pass, many times the missing rises up swift and strong. And the choosing comes fast–turning to praise.
Releasing to thank.
Opening for joy.
[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#waiting #lettinggoofchildren #joy”]It is in praise that joy comes.[/tweetthis]
She’s coming home for Christmas. Three weeks. It’s getting real as I put fresh sheets on a bed that’s going to be slept in soon. I smooth away every wrinkle. As I dust the dresser, covered with a year’s layer of dust, I am wiping away time, the passing of days, weeks, and months.
Tears start to fall, leaking out of my heart, warm and waiting and tender.
Tears I have set aside not because I am strong, but because I am grateful.
Just now, my phone chimes with a text. She is checked in and waiting to board.
Now my heart is full with the joy of anticipation.
She’s coming home and I’m finding joy in the waiting.
Are you waiting for something or someone in your life? What has God taught you in the waiting?
.Linking with these fabulous communities of bloggers: #TellHisStory, #ThreeWordWednesday
On Multi-Tasking and Other Domestic Disasters
Keepin’ it fresh with a little humor. We’re stepping back in time…
When your day starts like this…
“I don’t have any clean underwear, Mommy!” 15 minutes until the bus comes. Rushing to the dryer, I open the door only to discover that I forgot to turn on the dryer when I changed the load.
Who does that?
Apparently, I do.
Pulling a pair of Cinderella panties out of the dryer, I rush back to my daughter’s room with an unfortunate choice—dirty or damp?
Not much of a choice.
Amid grumbling and complaining, she just happens to remember a clean pair still in her overnight bag from this weekend’s sleepover. Problem solved.
Five minutes until the bus.
This is not the way I wanted to start my day.
Though I’m a reluctant list maker, have a mental tally of all the tasks that to be done this morning. “How can I multi-task all this?” I wonder aloud. “Get the next load of laundry going, battle the dirty dishes, then get to the other tasks on the list…”
Sha-bam, sounds good, doesn’t it?
Don’t be fooled. It’s just not that easy.
Me and my good intentions.
I enter the house motivated with a foolproof plan for accomplishing too many tasks at once. If Martha Stewart can do it, then surely I can too.
With good intentions, I work fast, determined to multi-task—something that often causes me great frustration. Although many are gifted multi-taskers, I just seem to leave things half done with a trail of broken items behind me.
Today, however, is going to be different. I’m sure of it.
Multi-tasking seems to be working.
The last task for the kitchen is mopping the floor. Soapy water sloshes as I wring out the mop. Back and forth I swipe the mop across the floor, mentally moving on to the next chore.
The floor sparkles with the help of Mr. Clean. In my industrious plan, I overlook the small, but oh-so-important detail of taking the dog, who’s left a yellow trail across the floor.
He gives me the woeful look that says, “Not my fault.” Another go with the mop…
Ready to continue on my productive mission, I begin vacuuming the living room. Plugging the vacuum into the outlet on the kitchen counter, I fail to notice a full container of Vanilla Coffee Creamer. It only takes a few seconds of vacuuming before the movement of the cord has knocked over the creamer, spilling the sugary white liquid.
All over the stove.
I’m trying to not say bad things.
Gritting my teeth and muttering under my breath, I wipe up the creamer, take the stove apart, and wipe it down with yet another round of Mr. Clean.
Cleaning the stove was NOT ON MY LIST.
Then I mop the floor…again.
Mr. Clean is getting quite the workout this morning.
Domestic disasters.
Twisted in knots and feeling aggravated, I stop to play with the dog. His antics never fail to make me laugh as I toss his favorite squeaky mini-soccer ball. Misfiring, the little ball hits my cup of coffee.
I’ll never understand how a 2-inch plastic ball can move a ceramic coffee cup, but it can.
Right off the table.
The cup crashes onto the tile floor below, shattering into pieces. Stunned at the sheer disaster of my multi-tasking, I just stare at the splattered coffee.
I can hardly contain myself as frustration rages. Another mess to clean up, and I’m mopping the same floor for a forth time in two hours—not to mention wiping down the walls and a few spots on the ceiling.
Clearly, multi-tasking is not working for me today.
I wish I could say I’m making this up…but the struggle is real, folks. So what’s a gal to do when you find yourself wanting to rip the wall paper down with your fingernails? It’s not like having a hissy fit is destined to become the next Olympic sport.
There’s no glory in loosing your sanity because attempts to multi-task turn into a disaster. Right?
Feeling more than a little defeated, I wonder how other people make multi-tasking look so easy. What’s wrong with me? Is it a natural klutziness or some organizational malfunction that derails my good intentions?
My mood plummets into a full-scale pity party. Too often, frustration or impatience are an open door for unwanted attitudes, words, actions. Ready to address invitations for my pity party, I grumble to myself, “What possible purpose is there in the frustration of multi-tasking?” Wasted energy and emotion for sure—or is it?
As multi-tasking backfires, I begrudgingly admit that just maybe, frustration can have some useful purposes…on rare occasions.
Details matter.
Frustration creates a need for patience and forces me to solve problems. Sometimes you have to make a few mistakes to get it right.
Considering my multi-tasking and other domestic disasters, I realize that rushing through tasks made it easy for me to miss details. Little things like turning on the dryer, remembering to take the dog out, and realizing the coffee cup is placed too close to the edge of the table.
Multi-tasking has some inherent problems, and learning to work methodically and pay attention to detail is a must for doing multiple things at once. Maybe I’ve equated multi-tasking with beating the clock.
[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#householdhumor #multi-tasking”]Faster isn’t necessarily better and multi-tasking is more about focus than speed.[/tweetthis]
A few little domestic disasters can ruin a good day if you let them. So let’s not let them…
Here’s to overcoming the dangers of multi-tasking and other domestic disasters.
How do you handle this kind of day? How many times have you had to mop the same floor in one day?
Happy to join with these communities: Coffee For Your Heart and #TellHisStory.
Thanksgiving is More Than a Holiday: A Moment for Gratitude
So much more than a holiday, thanksgiving refreshes the soul.
Feel like you’ve been gasping for air?
Bound tight by busy days, have you been breathing shallow with lungs half-full and heart half-empty?
[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#gratitude #thanksgiving #Iamgrateful”]Gratitude is air for the soul and life for the spirit.[/tweetthis]
It’s so easy to be consumed with never-ending duties of the day, giving our energy to others. We run hard, giving our best to God, family, home, work, and whatever else is on our list.
Take a moment to fill your heart with the grace of gratitude.
Thank you! Everything in me says “Thank you!”
Angels listen as I sing my thanks.
I kneel in worship facing your holy temple
and say it again: “Thank you!”
Thank you for your love,
thank you for your faithfulness;
Most holy is your name,
most holy is your Word.
The moment I called out, you stepped in;
you made my life large with strength. Psalm 138: 1-3 MSG
Hallelujah! I give thanks to God with everything I’ve got— Wherever good people gather, and in the congregation. God’s works are so great, worth A lifetime of study—endless enjoyment! Splendor and beauty mark his craft; His generosity never gives out. His miracles are his memorial— This God of Grace, this God of Love. Psalm 111 MSG
Gratitude is life to the soul.
And let your living spill over into thanksgiving. Colossians 2:7 MSG
Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe… Hebrews 12:28 NASB
So much more that a holiday, thanksgiving is a way of living.
