Hey friend I was wondering:
- Are you dreading the holidays?
- Does thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas cause you to feel overwhelmed?
- Do you battle feelings of sadness, depression, or just a general feeling of heaviness, especially during the months of November and December?
- Does this time of year stir up feelings of loneliness or longing for days in the past?
If so, you are not alone! In fact, just a couple of weeks ago I noticed that I’d started feeling some of these same emotions. I pushed my way through for several days, attempting to ignore how I was feeling, and then one morning my daughter called to discuss our holiday plans. It was that one phone call that helped me to see why I’d been feeling this way. The holidays were approaching, and every year I struggle with all of these emotions during the holidays.
After that eye-opening phone call, I decided that I didn’t want to focus on the things in my life that might cause me to become discouraged. I wanted to overcome the holiday depression I have dealt with every year. So, I bowed my head and began talking with God about it.
“Father, I don’t want to allow my emotions to control me this year. I want to be faithful, one day at a time, to make the most of the moments I have been given. I want to learn how to lift up the hard things, those things that cause me to feel this way during the holidays, and I want to be able to see it all from your perspective.”
As I was praying, God brought to mind the phrase “home for the holidays.” “Hmmmm…That’s a bit random!” I thought. Then God led me to Psalm 90:1. It says, “Lord, through all the generations you have been our home!”
God opened my eyes to the perspective he desires for me to have! Lord, through all the generations you have been our home…
Home for the holidays.
HE is my home – and where I need to dwell during this holiday season! (and every season!)
Psalm 90:1 is a reminder that our home is found in God, that he should be our focus throughout the holidays (and every day) and focusing on him is what will give comfort and help prepare us to interact with our families and face all of the multitude of emotions that accompany the holidays.
“Home for the holidays” means that whatever happens during the busy holidays, and wherever we go, if we are seeking God, abiding in Christ, and clinging to God’s promises, we are “home” because he is our dwelling place!
Don’t you love that?
I’ve been praying through the attributes of God and sharing those prayers over on Instagram. Focusing on God and his attributes is not only helping me get to know him better, it lifts my eyes from the temporary difficulties of this life and helps me to focus on the One who is always there, never changes, and who is the God of all comfort. Getting to know God better is helping me love him more. And during this holiday season, I am going to be posting some “home for the holidays,” he is our home, attributes that we can focus on together. It doesn’t mean we won’t feel some sadness or loneliness. It doesn’t mean there won’t be family drama, or that we will be treated differently by that family member who, for some reason, gets easily irritated with us. What it does mean is that our focus doesn’t have to be on the circumstances, but on the God who we can find refuge in, in every circumstance.
Join me, beginning this week, as we continue to pray through the attributes of God, in light of the holidays. Let’s pray and ask God to prepare us for the holidays, that we’d focus on him (our true “home”), and that Psalm 90:1 will be our theme!
“Lord, through all the generations you have been our (dwelling place) our home!”
Gina has transitioned her ministry from full-time mom and part-time writer, to being a mom who is available to her adult children as much as they need her and writing for several websites. You can find her at crosswalk.com, Ibelieve.com, millionprayingmoms.com, and at her website ginalsmith.com. She’s the author of Everyday Prayers for Joy, a 30-Day Devotional & Reflective Journal for Women.
