How To Be Excited For Christmas In 2020 | Brown Coat Outfit Inspo
Happy Friday beloved friend! I know you know how much I love you! I pray this post finds you in good cheer! If not I pray that God would give you his power to know peace, love, joy EVEN in the midst of challenge! This week was such an interesting week for me. I started off super excited for the Christmas season. I felt ready to celebrate and ready to do everything in my power to protect Christmas for my family, my husband, and my two little girls. Well, it was all gravy until I faced something very challenging, and my hope when out the window. I felt discouraged with my past and had the hardest time trying to keep up with the festivities. I allowed myself one day of grief because I know it is important for me to process my feelings. But the following day I made myself go on a run. What I learned on my run is that no matter how you slice it, the enemy will ALWAYS come to steal and destroy our joy in whatever way he can. And I thought, “How timely are you to come with me on these last two weeks before My Saviors celebration.”
Two weeks before and I have a choice to make. I can either remain hopeless and in fear. Or I can trust God to work his amazing power within me to, even in the darkness, have a heart of celebration because there is still something to live for, if I’m alive that means God has a purpose for me and if you’re alive God has a purpose for you!! Guess what I chose? To still have hope for the light that can’t be dimmed. Sometimes celebrations come in different ways and this year 2020 has had more than enough to make us all sick to our bones with hopelessness. We yearn for the way it used to be. But I am asking God to help me be open to new beginnings. If you too feel or have felt discouraged, I pray you wouldn’t stay there. I pray you’d allow God to give you his hope and strength and even in your weakness let him be strong for you. I pray that you’d be so ticked off at the enemy for ruining your 2020 that you’d even celebrate HARDER! See how God is going to turn it around for your good! We can’t control this world, however, we can control our response to everything that happens to us. I know it’s hard to sing or celebrate when you truly don’t feel like it; I will dare say, let’s sing and dance and celebrate because that’s what will jolt us out of these COVID feelings of depression. Trust me if you’re feeling anxiety or depression it makes so much sense because you’re a human being. Those terms and emotions are not your identity!!! But God doesn’t want us to stay in those emotions! He is God with us and he will help us in all our fear and sorrow.
Let’s praise God even in the darkness. It will make room for miracles. I hope you believe that even now you are just a breath away; A praise away from your breakthrough. Don’t quit and don’t give in! Jesus is going to get you through!
“ And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” 1 Peter 5:19
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Doug Reynolds