I love saying Merry Christmas, and when I am out and about enjoying the hustle and bustle of the holidays – I love when someone says it to me. It’s an instant connection. It’s an instant reminder of everything that is good in this world. It literally makes me feel like my whole heart is bursting, and I don’t care at all if that sounds cheesy.
It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.
Covid has changed things up these past few months – no doubt. I won’t argue that fact, but I will hold onto the promise that some things will never change.
Like saying Merry Christmas.
Like singing Christmas Carols.
Like celebrating Christ’s birthday.
There’s not a mask, election, virus, or pandemic that can take away that beautiful, holy night that my God sent His son to save a wretched sinner like myself – and that’s the truth.
So, when I say Merry Christmas – when I hear Merry Christmas – I am instantly reminded of that sweet, baby in a manger. The meaning behind those two small words will never ever change.
You see the seemingly small things are inevitably the big things.
Merry Christmas my sweet, sweet friends.
“6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
We all know, far too well, that 2020 has been a hard year. We’ve experienced the fear and instability of a global pandemic, lost loved ones to a confusing virus that we still don’t fully understand, struggled with the political division in our nation, shifted our plans and reprioritized our lives, and come face-to-face with the fragility of life that our hearts do not know how to handle. It almost feels like too much to list, much less experience.
And throughout all of this, we’re still experiencing the daily struggles of normal life: hectic schedules, family commitments, hard decisions, weddings, births, divorces, deaths, job
transitions, and moving. And yet, while the virus has pressed the pause button on so many activities and gatherings that are closest to our hearts, life has still been zooming ahead. As surreal as it seems to still have the daily mundane tasks to attend to while the world deals with such a large scale crisis, this is how living has been in the long months of 2020.
All of this has been turning in my head as the holiday season has approached. At times I’ve felt guilty for not feeling my usual amount of joy and wonder, and other times I’ve felt so incredibly thankful to be here to see the lights go up and the trees come out. All of the emotions I’ve felt swirled particularly intensely when I heard “O Holy Night” for the first time this season:
“O holy night! The stars are brightly shining, it is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till He appear’d and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.”
If there has ever been a year in my lifetime when the world felt weary, it has been this year. If we’ve ever been reminded of our need for a new and glorious morning, for a new sun to rise, it’s been this year. But the miracle of this season that cannot be dulled by the difficulties in this year is that He came. Jesus Christ knew our need for hope, and so He came. Veiled in flesh, “the King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger; in all our trials born to be our friend.” Jesus has never shied away from our struggle or our despair.
The Bible shows Him not only coming to us in the form of a baby, but to people in need over and over. He comes to Peter’s mother-in-law on her sickbed, to the crippled beggar on his mat in Jerusalem, and to Jarius’s sick daughter. There are so many examples of Jesus getting right into the middle of the messes made in people’s lives, from the miracle of His birth to the small moments He shared with individuals.
Ultimately, we celebrate Christmas to honor His coming, and His choice to be with us and die for us. But the incredible news is that He is coming again, to set all things right, and to remake the Earth as it was intended to be. In a year like this, when the very patterns and intricacies of our lives seem to remind us that all is not well, this is the hope that we have: that God hears, and sees; that Christ came, and will come again; that we are not alone.
We were in need of hope, of a Savior, of God, long before 2020. He came then, and He comes now, and He will come again.
The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
In this translation of Luke 1:28, the angel Gabriel announces some very exciting news to a young, poor girl from Nazareth. Mary not only hears that God favors her, but will also hear that she is chosen to carry the long-awaited Messiah. God had been silent for over 400 years, and now she is the first recipient of the news that she is to be mother of the God Most High.
Can. You. Imagine?
I love everything about the Christmas story. I love to study it, to teach it, and to ponder on it. There is so much to unpack in this story of Jesus’ humble entrance into our dark world. No matterhow many times I’ve read it, reviewed it, or studied it, God always allows me to walk away with another “ah-ha” moment. I’m so thankful he loves me enough to speak to my heart in ways I can understand!
The Bible clearly tells us that Mary was highly favored. However, it doesn’t tell us exactly why. Yes, Mary was hand-chosen to be the mother of Jesus, but Mary was also just a normal, everyday, common girl. She was human and sinful, even at her early age. Therefore, Mary couldn’t have done anything to deserve God’s favor. He favored Mary, because HE CHOSE TO…not because she deserved it. It had nothing to do with Mary, but EVERYTHING to do with HIM. She was highly favored and received this unmerited favor as a Grace-gift.
A Grace-gift.
Ponder on that for a moment.
A Grace-gift: He wasn’t just blessing Mary with a child, but wasdelivering her through her son.
A Grace-gift: God wasn’t only thinking of Mary, but was thinking of each of us.
We, too, are the recipients of that Grace-gift. A gift of unmerited favor, given by God, through a precious little baby. A baby that was born in a dirty manger, wrapped in dirty clothes, having his first visitors being dirty shepherds. A Grace-gift that would grow and become our sin payment…payment in full for our eternal salvation.
What a gift! Please unwrap your gift this Christmas. Yes, Mary was highly favored, AND so are you!
Pivot, change, pause, cancel! The different words we have had to say this year, for obvious reasons. No matter your age or profession, I am positive you have had to re-adjust and learn to do things in a new way in some area of your life. With Christmas as our final event of 2020, we are still faced with having to pivot and perhaps change things. This season, I am challenging myself and asking God to show me how to see Him and His birth in a new way.
First, no matter our circumstances, the coming of our king promised hope because we have a God who is sovereign, powerful and has authority over everything, as prophesized long before His birth.
Daniel 7:13-14
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Second, as some of us have experienced loss, disappointment and fear this year, there is one truth that I have been reminded often from words of the apostle Paul in Philippians 3:8.
“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.”
I cannot think of anything more valuable than the peace of knowing I have Jesus Christ as my Savior and that no matter what, I have eternal salvation through Him. That is what it is all about it.
Without question, we have been forced to slow down, change perspective, and do things differently in 2020. What could happen if we threw out our thought patterns, traditions and mindset around Christmas with a daily reminder? The birth of Jesus brought us peace, grace and the offer of eternal salvation which is the most valuable gift we will ever receive. And that is what it is all about.
You ever parented during a pandemic? Yeah, me neither.
The line is fine, and the decisions are daunting. We want to keep life normal for our kids, but we don’t even know what normal is anymore.
Here’s the deal – nobody has ever been here before, so nobody knows where this crazy train is taking us.
This. Is. Hard.
I don’t have any ground-breaking advice. I just have truth. And that truth is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is what I know from digging into the roadmap that God left for us: He wins. There really is hope. And this awful pandemic will eventually pass.
These words aren’t trite.
They are true.
Hold onto hope, momma.
Hold onto God.
– Daisy
“And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,” 2 Peter 1:19
Today, honestly, I was just exhausted. I had a commitment to fulfill that I had already committed to, and zero energy and enthusiasm to go do it. But I did anyways, cause I can’t let anyone down, right?
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While this is admirable, it’s also stupid. Here me out. As I sat there, in a moment of frustration thinking about all the other things I have to get done (the list goes on and on), God spoke to my heart and said, “You know, you can just say no.” I’m sitting here trying to plan how I’m gonna make time here and there to get the Christmas Program at Church organized and planned out, secret Santa gifts bought, and oh yeah, find time to be a wife and mom and God just drops this huge Revelation in my heart. Is it huge? No. But it’s huge to me.
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This isn’t something I’d ever even considered. Saying no… you can do that? As I sat there kind of stunned, He then continued and said, “The root of that is fear.”
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Then it hit me: I’m scared. I’m scared to let people down. I’m scared to be rejected. I’m scared to upset someone. And this had created such a cycle of people pleasing that I honestly didn’t know how to stop it.
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I was rushing home to get ready to head right back out when I turned to my husband and said, “Can I just stay home?” You have to understand, I never don’t go. I never say, “no, I think I’m gonna rest instead.” I’m always the “yes” girl. So this, my friends, was huge for me. And man was it freeing!
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It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to not over commit. It’s okay to not be at every social gathering and your kids not be involved in every little thing and to just rest. And since this is supposed to be a Christmas post, It’s okay to have just a couple of presents under the tree because PRESENCE is what actually matters most.
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So, this is what Christmas is to me this year: a time to rest. A time to celebrate who Jesus is to me and my family and remind myself of why I CHOOSE to live a life dedicated to Him.
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I’m tired, y’all. Tired of trying to be a Pinterest mom, tired of worrying about the perfect gift and tired of being scared of not being good enough. So, I over commit and try and do it all. This year, though, I’m gonna just take a step back and BREATHE. Enjoy Jesus and who He is! Is life ever gonna be less busy than this? No, it sure isn’t. But finding moments of refreshment in the business is possible with Jesus at the forefront.
Sounds so simple doesn’t it? My daughter, Elle, just recently turned three, and the excitement of Santa Claus is REAL this year. Santa’s elf is perched high on our mantle and we even got to visit with the boss himself, Santa (despite the plexiglass window). With COVID you’d think Christmas magic would be in short supply, but not with our little! She is our Buddy the elf- constantly singing loud for all to hear!
Recently, Zak (my husband), was off work, so we took the opportunity to cross off a few things on our Christmas list. While shopping it seemed everyone’s anxiety was high- whether it was the mask-wearing, news of COVID numbers increasing, or just the “holidays” in general, everyone seemed to be on edge. Needless to say, when we finally got back home we were ready for bed.
After baths, nighttime routines, and putting Walker (our five month old) to bed, Zak and I got into bed with Elle. She was already snoozing hard. Zak and I looked at each other with a sigh of relief- “what a day” we thought. All of the sudden, as clear as anything I’ve ever heard, Elle started singing “Emmanuel, Emmanuel!”- one of her children’s program songs for church. Tears immediately came to both of our eyes. She was “dream singing”! With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, the magic of Santa, and the stress of finding that perfect gift- God used this simple moment to bring us back to the true meaning of Christmas- the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God spoke to my heart from so simply and sweetly from the mouth of babes. The weight of the day seemed to melt away. Did you know “Emmanuel” translated means “God with us”? *Cue the chills*
I want to encourage you this Christmas season to remember the reason we celebrate and remember your WORTH. The song “O Holy Night” has the lyric “the soul felt it’s worth”, which has never stood out to me until just recently. God loved you so much that he bankrupt heaven to send a Savior to a lost and dying world. For YOU my friend.
Times have been dark this year, there is no doubt. It is said that on the night that Jesus was born, three stars met to create the star that lit the wise men’s’ path. Light was brought to the world. Did you know that December 21st this year we will be able to see this same star on the darkest day of the year? The Christmas star. How appropriate that in this moment in time during the Christmas season, God sends this beautiful reminder that Light has and will step in forever and ever. He makes all things new again. “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel”- Matthew 1:23
We wish you and your family the merriest Christmas, this year. May God bless you and keep you!
Every year God gives me a word [or phrase] to use as a compass for the next 12 months. I use this word throughout the year to grow, reflect, and hone in on who God needs me to me be.
My word for 2020 was fly. I didn’t understand at all what that meant or what the year would hold for me. Honestly, it’s December and I’m just now getting it. After all, fly means to move quickly or be hurled through the air.
Don’t they say hindsight is 2020? See what I did there? Moving homes, moving towns, moving jobs, all during a global pandemic definitely had me feeling like I was being hurled through the air. Some days I landed gracefully, and some days I landed gracelessly. But I landed. And boy did I learn a ton.
This past Sunday God gave me my word for 2021, and I’m pretty pumped about it. My word is FOCUS which is a lot less scary than FLY.
1. Focus on God
2. Focus on Family
3. Focus on Rays of Sunshine
I’m pretty excited to see where this takes me. I’m excited to make the above three things my true center of attention. I’m ready to hone in, dig in, and hopefully not be hurled through the air anymore. 😆
What’s your word?
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105
I was trying to think of a word to best describe certain events from this past year, and that’s the word that I kept coming back to.
Heavy.
Webster’s Dictionary defines heavy as difficult to lift or to move.
Yup. I know that feeling.
In Greek the word heavy, or ademoneo, means to be troubled and is used to describe the Lord’s sorrow in Gethsemane.
Although we’ve all had events in 2020 that could only be described as heavy – we know that with that heaviness comes hope. We see that hope in an empty tomb just a few days later.
The heaviness is hard, but the heaviness keeps us humble. After all, we are called to be humble, but that can only happen when we are fully dependent on God.
So maybe parts of 2020 were heavy. Maybe parts broke us into pieces and brought us to our knees.
But maybe that’s where we found God. Maybe that’s where we found the hope we’d been longing for.
And maybe – just maybe – the hope that we obtained on our journey to Jesus will be the very same hope that someone on that path needs.
“Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope.” Psalm 16:9
CHRISTMAS, a cozy time of year, where we get under a blanket, drink hot chocolate, watch Christmas movies, all while our Christmas lights are twinkling all around us.
We stay busy decorating Christmas trees, shopping for gifts, and celebrating with family. When I think of the true meaning of Christmas and what we are celebrating, I think of God sending us His Son, Jesus. He is the reason for the season, but sometimes all the distractions of the holiday tend to blur out Jesus, our Savior!
There are so many times I have dreaded Christmas because my mind goes straight to the shopping, the money that will be spent, and the weeks of busyness. I must stop and remind myself that Christmas is about Christ and God’s love for us!
I also think about how God chose a virgin, Mary, to carry His Son. Can you imagine what Mary must have thought? She was favored enough by God to be the mother of Jesus, her firstborn son, and He would be the Savior of the world.
“She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21
Today is my firstborn son’s birthday. This leads me to think about and realize just how much of a sacrifice God made, but also Mary. God trusted Mary enough to handle her son’s purpose in this world. It is unimaginable to me to know that my son, who would be sinless and blameless, would be born to die for the sins of the world. I can tell you with all honesty that my faith would waiver at that moment, but Mary shows a true testament of her faith. She trusted her Lord with her Son. She had to watch him be ridiculed, hurt, beaten, and crucified and keep her faith that He was carrying out God’s purpose.
As a mom I want to try to control and protect my children in every circumstance they face. I want to keep them from hurt, pain, and having to deal with any obstacles that would come against them. But these are the moments that God uses to mold them and help them become who and what He wants them to be. That is where I need to remember the faith Mary had.
I can only teach them to seek the Lord with all their hearts and then have faith that God has their future in His hands. God loves our children more than we do and they belong to Him. He has placed them on this earth to fulfill His purpose for them. They will face adversity, hurt, pain, etc., but we can strive to have the faith Mary had, and God will handle the rest.
Rays of Sunshine inc 