Remember Your Why
Glittering lights, Christmas bulbs, colors of red, green, gold and silver. These are all signs of the holiday season. We decorate our houses, purchase gifts, bake cookies, run ourselves ragged to try and create a postcard-perfect picture of our lives. Yet, all of these activities can cause stressed-out lives become even more anxious and chaotic. If none of these activities bring enjoyment then we are doing them for the wrong reason. Are we trying to live up to someone else's standards? Are we attempting to fulfill another's expectations? Do we think that the flurry of activity and Christmas trappings will somehow bring joy? Some of these holiday decorations and activities do, in fact, bring joy to the season and can enhance the celebration. But when we cross the line from enjoyment to a deep-in-our-gut anxiety, than it's time to sit back and re-evaluate what we are doing. I told the Christmas story in children's church yesterday to two little preschoolers. I have a ...