Post-Holiday Check | Blogfromthebelly10

If you haven’t already noticed…I have a procrastination issue that, when paired with life’s inconveniences (or even the “good stuff”), can become quite an obstacle. So here I am kind of forcing the words onto the page here. Better late than never and I hope for this to be the start of a routine I almost really had going for a while there! Please God, help me.

Throughout the holidays I was reflecting on gratitude and what it really means to love like Christ. We all fall short because we are imperfect beings, but we are made in God’s image and our calling is to keep working to love others the way Jesus loves us. That got me thinking about how it’s so common to step up our game in this area around the holidays as opposed to the rest of the year. I can’t say this applies to every single one of us, but I do think it’s an issue! We can get this extra boost of motivation to do good, treat others well, be extra generous, and overflow with kindness when we get into the holiday season. That’s great! But we tend to slip back into our selfish, less aware, and less considerate routines as we watch December 25th fade further and further away in our rear-view mirror.

I don’t know what you’ve read, but I can’t recall any Bible verses I’ve read so far that say, “make sure you are on point with your Christ-like love from Thanksgiving to New Years Day because Jesus’ birthday is right in the middle there and He expects us to be celebrating!” I don’t think the point of Jesus’ great act of love on the cross is fully appreciated and understood if we’re not remembering it and acting accordingly all year long. That being said, it isn’t easy. It’s constant work, we will fall short, and some days we might feel like we’ve failed completely. So how do we keep that extra oomph going once the hustle and bustle of the holidays has passed?

Here are some of the things I have made notes of throughout this holiday season.

• Practice gratitude: I’m sure you’ve heard this before, probably a lot recently. Nevertheless, it is truly undervalued. The simple act of spending more of your thinking time reflecting and thanking God can hugely impact your state of mind. Even if you have to force yourself each day to write down or think of just 3 things you can say “Thank you, God” for…do it! You don’t even have to enjoy doing it at first, but just do it. Give it a chance, literally count those blessing each day.
• Pray to be a better listener: do you ever feel like all these other folks talk about what God has said to them, or how He’s answered a prayer and you’re like….um so what does His voice sound like? Should I be worried that I haven’t heard it the way it sounds like they have? I realized that when I think about this…I’m always praying for God’s voice to be louder or more obvious to me. I think maybe I should be praying for my ears and heart to be more readily available to hear Him and receive His will for me. It’s not God’s voice that is the problem.
• Remember God isn’t like your friend Dennis: What I mean is…God is not a friend like Dennis is a friend. Or like Margie is a friend. God loves you and wants the best for you, as I’m sure Margie and Dennis do, but He is GREATER than you in a monumental way. He is the Creator of all things and holds you in His hands. It is easy to feel too busy to read your Bible or too busy to take the time to pray during the day. Those things you aren’t obligated to do can sometimes fall to the back burner or off your stove completely. Margie and Dennis might be the kind of friends that make it real difficult to skip out on plans or go MIA for any amount of time. You might get calls, texts, heck – they might even show up at your house unannounced. God doesn’t mandate how often, or how deeply we choose to keep in touch with Him. However, the quality and frequency of our interactions with Him affect everything – and the quality and frequency is sort of up to us. So it’s important that we remember how vital our relationship with God is to our lives and how DIFFERENT that relationship is from our relationships with the Margie’s or Dennis’s in our lives.
• Lemonade Isn’t Easy: Everyone knows the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Oh yeah, just like that! Easy peasy, right? But if you have ever worked anywhere that makes fresh lemonade…you would know that making lemonade isn’t really that easy or quick when you’re fresh squeezing lemons. It can be messy, it can take a while, and if you’ve got any cuts on your hands you didn’t know about before…you surely will discover them quickly. What I’m saying is…our path may still be bumpy even when we choose to have a “can do” attitude when faced with challenges. Putting our faith in God doesn’t promise us an easy path. So when life gives you lemons, don’t throw them at your neighbors who keep blowing leaves into your yard. Ground yourself in Christ, count your blessings, and make the lemonade anyway – and go give some to those neighbors!

If you’re still with me and on board with even some of that, hooray! I hope it can help someone, in someway, keep pushing to LOVE and pour energy into staying connected with God, especially when it can feel like you just don’t have the oomph. Just starting with a little “Please God, help. I can’t, but you can” will make all the difference. Say it louder for the people in the back! (that’s me, I’m the people in the back.) Goodnight all, and I am praying for you. Please pray for me too ❤