*cue the sleigh bells*
It’s that time of year that I like to call the “Holiday Hustle!”
Everybody is out-and-about getting ready for their ugly-sweater parties, finding ingredients for their special Christmas cookies, and doing some last-minute shopping! My husband and I love Christmas! (If it was up to Tim, he’d probably prefer to have our tree up year-round. No joke!) The holidays mean so much to us, and bring a variety of emotions for so many people. Whether you’re in good spirits or feel overwhelmed with all that the end of the year can bring, I think – as we hurry around leading up to Jesus’ birthday – it’s a great time to stop and posture our hearts so that we don’t forget what Christmas is truly all about.
I read a study on gratitude recently conducted by psychologists at the University of Miami. After observing three groups of students over a 10-week period, they found that the group who wrote out what they were grateful for daily felt more optimistic about life, were more physically active, and had fewer visits to the doctor. Similar studies by Harvard, U.C. Berkeley, and Notre Dame essentially found the same thing. The overall gist is that gratitude improves relationships, correlates to better moods, and is the best thing for your physical health!
You may not always feel like it, but there’s always a reason to be grateful. And on top of those things, it’s commanded in Scripture – that we give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess. 5:16-18). If you’ve truly experienced the miracle of salvation, a new life in Jesus, then we can look at every day with a grateful heart because of what He has done for us, and what He’ll continue to do in and through us in this life! In light of these thoughts on gratitude, I wrote this 5-Day devotional to help get my heart ready for Christmas – the true meaning of Christmas – and I hope you’ll follow along with me too!
Download your free copy of the devo by clicking on the button below!
