Are you able to find rest in the midst of Christmas? I know you just snickered and said, “Yeah, right.”
Remember your college days and what Christmas looked like then?
When I was a college student, Christmas break was the best rest I got all year. How about you?
I pushed myself hard in college, taking a full load of classes and at least one or two summer sessions for over six years. I also worked at least 30 hours per week at two or three different jobs.
At Christmas, the pressure was off for a few weeks. I had time to take naps, visit with family and friends, read for pleasure, enjoy shopping, and just piddle around. Christmas break was probably the best part of college life for me. I see now that I pushed myself too hard and didn’t carve out enough time to relax and enjoy myself.
What’s funny to me is how the situation is reversed, now that I’m a mom. Christmas tends to feel like more work added to my load. Certainly not rest.
More cooking. More cleaning. More activities. More projects. More stress.
Can you relate?
This year I’m going to schedule a Christmas break day for myself, like in my college days. A day of rest.
A day to take a nap, eat lunch with a friend, browse a store, read a book, and piddle around. Ooh, perhaps I should schedule a massage!
A day not to catch up on filing, do a few loads of laundry, write a blog post, and simmer a pot of soup on the stove. That’s what my normal day-to-myself looks like. This will be a day to simply relax, enjoy life, and thank God for all my blessings.
It will be a day for my children to enjoy time with grandparents. A day for my husband to enjoy his own rest. A guilt-free day. A day of refreshment.
I know this day won’t happen unless I schedule it. And it will have to wait until after December 25. But I’m marking it on the calendar.
I do work hard so I can take a Sabbath rest every Sunday. But this Christmas break day will look different. Sundays are family days now. I need a day to myself every once in a while, when nothing really gets accomplished except for putting peace back into my heart.
The best Christmas present I can give myself is a day of peace.
A day of peace with God, thanking and praising him for all he’s done this past year.
A day of peace with myself, speaking kindness to myself and enjoying my own company.
A day of rest, refreshment, and renewal.
Questions:
Do you like the idea of a day of peace for yourself during Christmas break?
Dream for a moment—what might you do on a day of peace?
What action can you take today to plan for a day of peace during Christmas break?
Blessings to you, Sarah
P.S. Today is Day 6 of 12 Days of Reader Tips for Christmas Peace. Be sure to leave a comment on my related Facebook post with your tip!
Copyright 2016 Sarah Geringer