The children sing. Some loud and boisterous, some soft and meek, yet they sing. They tell me stories with their eyes – with their movements. The way they act out motions to the songs, some hate it, some love it, and isn’t it remarkable how we ALL need it…

We need the songs of Christmas to light up the dark places in our lives and bubble up the joy we forgot we had. We need the screaming. (Some call that excitement.) We need the forgetting of the words. (Some call that leaving room for God to move.) Even the occasional one kid smacking the other on the head can be something we need. (Some of us just call that plain old funny.) We need to stay connected with innocent joy. The kind that makes us crazy… the kind that breathes holy.

I think about how often my to-do list runs over and over again in my head. It’s loud, frantic, and riddled with stress. I have gifts to wrap and more to buy. Cookies need baked, and, Jesus, You know I’m tired, Lord.

Oh, Dear God, thank You for the gift of having people to be tired for. Thank You for the pull to get out of bed and see that my day has been designed for Your glory. And my choices, if I make the right ones, spill out Your love. I long to make the right choices, Lord.

I want to hear the beauty in the melodies we’ve been singing since September – even when the voices squeak and the words are lost. I want to see the Holy Spirit in the eyes of the child acting their little heart out while telling a story that many adults take for granted, yet is the greatest ever told.

I want to enjoy each moment of the Christmas season, even when I’m tired. I want to look at my frailty as a gift. I know that when everything around seems dead, life appears and sings songs of praise.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…

For you, for me, for us all.

Today, I pray you hear the joy around you. Even when it’s almost silent, it’s there. Unwrap it. Mine will be loudly wrapped up in tattletales, talking, and maybe even some tears. (Probably mine.) But I’m determined to unwrap it.

It’s Christmas. It’s the anniversary of hope. It’s the birthday of our Lord. And He didn’t come for us to dread His birthday because we have too much to do and not enough time to do it in. He came to save us. Let us allow ourselves to be saved. Let us remember what Christmas is about.

Unwrap Joy.

Accept hope.

Let the peace of God rule your heart.

Be who you want to be today and not who your circumstances dictate you should be.

Enjoy the season.

Love,

Jennifer

PS: The winner of the book bundle is Rachael! I will be emailing you for your address!