Successful holidays, to my mind, are emerging out the other end of these next six weeks or so feeling relaxed, joyful, peaceful and treasuring good memories. Rosalyn's Successfully Sane Holiday Strategy: 1. Breathe Peace. At various points during your day, take a moment to breathe. On each inhale, pray the words of Jesus: "Peace I leave with you," and then on the exhale, the remainder of the words: "...my peace I give to you." (John 14:27 NIV) This is especially soothing at night, when you are trying to calm your mind down to rest. 2. Practice Love. Inevitably, social situations arise where we are given a choice - do we assume negative or positive intent? When we assume positive intent, we introduce love into the equation. Imagine how different our holiday interactions would look if each of us chose to approach each person with love: Love cares more for others than for self. Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best... 1 Corinthians 13: excerpts from verses 3-7, The Message Bible 3. Unplug. Each commercial, each bawdy joke, each holiday-drama filled sitcom is intended to accomplish one thing: distraction. Give yourself a break from the distraction, the drama, the commercialism. Allow your heart some time to enjoy a quiet evening, a simple morning or a restful afternoon. All I want is for you to be able to develop a way of life in which you can spend plenty of time together with the Master without a lot of distractions. 1 Corinthians 7:35 The Message Bible Print this:
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