Playing Santa for friends and family every year can become quite a chore. Daily life has to go on, as well, and we can begin to feel frazzled and pulled in many directions. Although I, like many women, take pride in being a multi-tasker, the whirlwind of holiday planning, shopping, wrapping, baking, decorating, and attending special events sometimes leaves me feeling like one of those Christmas pageant camels… one with a broken back from carrying one too many straws.
When stress begins to blur my Christmas spirit, it helps if I get out of bed a few minutes early, stay up a few minutes late, or steal some quiet time somewhere, in order to sharpen my life’s focus.
If you have ever taken a photo of a large group, then you know how difficult it can be to keep each person in focus. But, if you are taking a photo of one special person in the group, the task becomes easy…you put that one particular face in the center and adjust the lens until only that one is sharp an clear.
Life is like that. If every task has equal importance, then no single job gets our best efforts. Taking on one job at a time, as if the project at hand were the only item on your To Do list, makes life more manageable.
So, if you begin to feel stressed this Christmas, take a few moments to breathe deeply, center your thoughts on the One whose birth we celebrate, let Him help you set your priorities, and you may get through this season with all the PEACE and JOY you hope for.
December 11, 2010]
Power Walking with Jonna 