This season coming up is rough, right? Ha, it's amazing in so many ways; Parties, great food, celebrating, hanging out with people, shopping, cooking,  presents. It's great, right?! Right?!

If you're anything like me, you feel a little overwhelmed and overjoyed with ALL of the things mentioned above. I believe that the Holiday Season can be tricky; however, we can be proactive and make the best of it! It all starts IN our head space! Your experience will take on the story you tell it in your noggin. I believe that our feelings are closely related to how we are thinking- our thinking is closely related to what we believe about ourselves and about the world around us. We are, second-by-second, sizing up emotional pain from every interaction we chose or not chose to have, and how it will affect us. We try to skip out on pain because it hurts, all the while, we make choices out of fear and then we are right back to where we didn't want to be, nursing emotional pain or distracting from it. It's quite funny actually, when we truly sit back and ponder upon how it all works.

I pray this brings joy and peace into your life as I expect delightedly, it will to mine. 

Here are some thoughts I'd like to propose for you today.

1.- You are not responsible for other's feelings. 

Period. You are only responsible for how you show up. "If it is possible, as long is it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18)"   Do you best to not use precious energy worrying about how you made someone else feel. It will ALL be speculation, as you can't truly know what others are thinking or feeling. Show up peacefully and do your best and do not worry about the rest! Hey, that sounds like a song! 


2.- You can choose to feel, whatever it is you want to feel, right this second, without anything changing. 

This thought is a little challenging because it requires you to not blame your circumstances. "With men this is impossible, but with God, ALL things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)" God can help us feel joy in the midst of chaos! Let's get real, sometimes the Holiday's can bring chaos with many relation interactions that you might have avoided through out the year. Alas, you are responsible for you and what you feel. No one can take your joy from you, not your Uncle Bob with his gross comments or your Aunt Pachully with her hurtful opinions about your life choices. They are projecting onto you what they feel about themselves and it's not personal. Their thoughts can not be proven about you in a court of law. So let's only believe what God has to say about you.  His truth is what will trump their pain projected onto you. So be wise and fill your head with God's truth this season so you can withstand the waves of people's hurt. You'll have God's armor on you protecting you from any unkind word or harm and you will only listen to what God has to say about you. This will be true peace and contentment in the midst of any circumstance. 

3.- Be grateful for it ALL.

Yes the good the bad and the ugly. Let's be a people that are grateful! It changes the atmosphere of our souls! Let's be grateful for all of it so then it gives God room to move within it. He promises that he can "all things God works for the good of those who love him. (Romans 8:28)" 

I was grateful when I was making the house smell good for our guest, we are trying so hard to make it a great experience. We lit candles, made some potpourri so it could impregnate the whole house with cloves and cinnamon. All the while our toddler is crapping herself on the floor of the bathroom. Explosive diarrhea at it's best!  Just in great timing as our first guest at the door. Oh the embarrassment!  But why go there? Our mistakes and failures make us relatable to one another, we all secretly want to know you're struggling too. We crave that deep connection, so why squander it with presuming to have it all together? No one really believes us anyway, they can smell the "rrhea" through the facade!  So let's be real, let's keep the peace and have ourselves a grand ol' time!  

Tis' all, my beloved.  KNOW you are a treasure in God's hand. You've got this! I pray for the peace that surpasses all your understanding to guard your heart and your mind in Christ this Holiday Season. May it be full of inner peace and joy for you, my dear! I love you! Have a great week! 

xo, Libier