Re-focusing my heart this Christmas

Thanksgiving is over and we're in the mad-rush to Christmas. We've got to get our decorations up, gifts purchased, baking done and pictures of our perfect families out to everyone we love. I love Christmas, but each year I find myself dreading it more and more. There's so much to do, and each year it seems our culture is making Christmas more and more about consumerism and less and less about Christ. As I drove home from Thanksgiving, worrying about already being behind on my shopping list, I decided I was going to do everything I could to re-focus my Christmas to Jesus; to celebrating that God doesn't break His promises to us, even if it means the most ultimate sacrifice; and to answering His annual call to remind myself that I am a child of God, and just how loved I am. What a beautiful holiday we have covered up with glitter and wrapping paper! I can't change the fact that in the name of Christmas people will trample each other to acquire material possessions, but I can change my own heart, and make sure it's focused where it belongs this Christmas.

So, one of the ways I'm accomplishing this goal is to spend time each day in prayer.  Join me each day for a scripture, reflection, prayer and challenge. I've always been a private writer, but I knew in order to stick to my goal of doing this daily I'd need people to hold me accountable, and so, this blog was born! I'm hoping it will be somewhat of an online bible study, and welcome your posts as we share our struggles, joys and moments and ask that all posts are kept positive - this isn't a debate, just prayer! :)



The gospel for this Sunday couldn't be more perfect to start this blog - isn't our God amazing?
John 18:33-37
Pilate said to Jesus,
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?"
Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I?
Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
What have you done?"
Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here."
So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?"
Jesus answered, "You say I am a king.
For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."


The Catholic Church celebrates Christ the King Sunday this weekend. There's not a better time of year for us to remind ourselves that Jesus is our King, and his kingdom does not belong to this world. Jesus was only here for a short time, here for a purpose, but not here to make himself at home. There are times when it's so obvious to us that this isn't our home, when our hearts so clearly long for the heaven we were born to inhabit, like when we turn on the evening news to stories of war and murder, when we're feeling alone and not fitting in, or watching a loved one pass away. But other times we can settle in to really making ourselves comfortable here. I remember going on a 3 day retreat with some high school sophomores, we told the kids to take their stuff to their rooms and meet back up-stairs in a few minutes. After a while, a few of the girls hadn't returned so we popped into their room to speed them up. We were astonished to see they had been decorating! They had blankets folded neatly on the beds, all the shoes lined up along the wall, it looked, well, like a teenagers room! The girls had literally settled in, and they were so proud of their decorations. It seemed silly to us, of course you know the first words out of my mouth were "you know we're only staying for 3 days right?" I wonder if God has the same thoughts sometimes about us: "you know you're only staying for a little while right?" Our 80 years here must be even less than those 3 days on the retreat compared to eternity.  There was nothing wrong with the girls' decorating their room on that retreat because it only took them a matter of minutes, but what if they had missed the entire purpose of the retreat because they were so concerned with decorating their room? And then once it was so nicely decorated they couldn't possibly leave it?

I'm really going to challenge myself this Advent season to look at where I spend my time. Am I so focused on settling in here and making myself comfortable that I'm missing out on what I'm really here for? I'm sad to say I have to answer "yes" to that to some degree.

Father, thank you for your reminder that You are my King. I have nothing to worry about because I am the beloved daughter of the greatest King there is. Please help me to re-focus my life to you. I can get distracted so easily, when I do, please remind me again. Help me to see the purpose you have sent me here for, and keep my heart aligned with yours that I can live the life of joy and peace you have set out for me. Amen.


I'm going to pick one thing to give up that distracts me from my greater purpose and steals my time and I pick....using the internet on my phone. OUCH it hurts just to say that! This is going to be brutal, but I also know its going to be so good for so many of my relationships.

I'd love to hear your comments on the scripture or your challenges for yourself or others!