December 3 It is Easy to Get Wrapped Up…

Affirmation: I am gentle with myself and my mistakes. I treat myself with love and respect.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;”‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

~~~~~~~

Ponder, Personalize, Practice: Spend time today pondering the light that God brings to you…Ask Him to help you see His light in your darkness. Lord, show us Your light and give us hope. Amen

John 1:5. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” 

~~~~~~~

Wholehearted Guidepost from Brené Brown

Guidepost 8: Cultivating Calm and Stillness and Letting Go of Anxiety as a Lifestyle

DIG Deep

GET DELIBERATE

I want us to get deliberate around stillness. How do you create an emotional clearing in your life? In your journal, pick any page and write three things you could do on a daily basis to create tiny pockets of stillness, little pieces of clearing in your life. For me, this is listening to a special song each morning or not checking my phone when I have a quiet moment.

GET INSPIRED

The definition of courage in this course is sharing your story with your whole heart. Feel free to share your calm and stillness photo, your calm map and/or whatever has meant the most to you about this lesson by posting them on Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #OLCBreneCourse! You can also share with a supportive friend or family member anything else that inspired you this week: a valuable phrase from the lesson, creative work from your journal, or an inspiration from your everyday life. ~~~~~

Mastering the 7 Decisions from Andy Andrews

The Compassionate Decision 

6. I WILL GREET THIS DAY WITH A FORGIVING SPIRIT.

By the act of forgiving, I am no longer consumed by unproductive thoughts. I will forgive those who have criticized me unjustly.

I now understand that forgiveness has value only when it is given away. I forgive their lack of vision, and I forge ahead.

I now know that criticism is part of the price paid for leaping past mediocrity. I will forgive those who do not ask for forgiveness. From this day forward, my history will cease to control my destiny. I have forgiven myself. My life has just begun.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

~~~~~~

Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love by Bob Goff

December 3It is easy to get wrapped up in holiday expectations. Remember that Love is on everyone’s wish list.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves, break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths, and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Matthew 6:19–21.

Here’s how a Christmas list shifts over a person’s life: when we are young, we make the list; when we are middle aged, we fund the list; when we are old, no one can figure out what should be on the list.

I think for all of us, the first phase is the best. When you are a kid, you know exactly what you want for Christmas. You make different categories to show Santa which gifts are the priority and which ones he can cut off if he needs to get to the next house. Eventually we graduate from the list making stage right around the time we fund Santa’s list.

But as we get older, we don’t really value stuff on Christmas morning. Sure, it is fun to unwrap a present, but what we want is more availability, connection, and more love. As gifts decline in value, things like time together and family traditions become the real present.

None of us wants to get to the finish line and realize all we are carrying is a bunch of stuff that all goes to Goodwill anyway. As Christmas approaches, don’t get bogged down in the shopping list. Don’t get lured by advertisements saying you’ll find happiness behind one more thing or that there is a toy your kid “has to have.” Get weighed down by the impressive weight of love instead. That is the real door buster. Show the people around you what they mean to you. Give a lot of love and ask nothing in return. That is a gift worth giving. It is on everyone’s wish list.

What gifts of love, can you put on your shopping list for the people in your life?