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How to Let Christmas Change Your Life Every Day

If you haven’t yet discovered author and artist Ruth Chou Simons, you are in for a treat. Enjoy this Christmas excerpt from her book, “Emmanuel: An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas and Always.”

If the idea of Immanuel—God with us—blows your mind, it should.

But more stunning than even the birth of Christ is the mystery of the Savior’s presence forever with us, wherever we go, through the Spirit.

God with us wasn’t one event on Christmas Day, or one lifetime in the 33 years that Jesus walked the earth. God with us is forevermore in the lives of those who receive Him as Savior and King.

Do you see how God’s promise of rescue far outshines a candlelight service or a season of festivities? When we prepare Him room at Christmas, we make room for a lifetime in His presence.

Jesus doesn’t want our partial attention during the month of December, He wants our hearts every day of every year.

He wants us to be transformed.

So ask we seek to celebrate Christ’s birth this season, let’s start by celebrating the new birth granted to us when we trust in Him.

We can truly live a transformed life.

***

Ruth Chou Simons is a Wall Street Journal bestselling and award-winning author of several books, including GraceLaced, Beholding and Becoming, and When Strivings Cease. She is an artist, entrepreneur, and speaker, using each of these platforms to spiritually sow the Word of God into people’s hearts. Simons shares her journey of God’s grace intersecting daily life with word and art. Ruth and her husband, Troy, are grateful parents to six boys—their greatest adventure.

Photo by Ales Krivec on Unsplash

By Jackie M. Johnson

Want to Change Your Life? What You Need to Know

It’s the start of a new year and you’re full of hope and expectations for the months ahead. Like lots of folks, you’re thinking about something(s) you’d like to change in your life.

Maybe you’d like to:

Lose weight.
Save money.
Get out of debt.
Write a book.
Reconcile with a friend.
Redecorate your home.
Find more peace and joy.
Or something else…

Whatever it is, change isn’t easy.

Often, we have big ideas at the start January and then lack the get-up-and-go to actually do something.

Or, we’re so busy with the crazy life we have that we don’t make time for anything else—and yet the longing remains for things to be different and better.

Despite the obstacles, transformation is truly possible. It starts with identifying what is holding you back. So I created the acronym TERMS to help you find the reasons that true change has eluded you.

T (Time) – You simply don’t have time, or don’t make the time to reflect on your life. What do you REALLY want? What does God want for you? Make change a priority in increments and take a bit of time—or a block of time—to start the process.

E (Energy) – You are tired or stressed and exhaustion has been keeping you from making changes in your life. Eating healthier and getting more sleep—along with drinking enough water—are ways to get some energy back. Think about what you can delete from your schedule to get more rest and begin to make some life changes.

R (Resources) – You don’t have the money or other resources to make the changes you want. But that doesn’t have to stop you. Perhaps there are other creative solutions, or ways God will provide.

M (Motivation) – You might have the time and the resources, but for some reason you’re not motivated to make a change. You’re not excited about it or inspired. Perhaps it’s time to get a new goal. Or, be a grownup and do the thing you simply don’t want to do because it will be good in the end.

S (Something else) – Other things that may be keeping you from making changes could be: You fear the unknown. You fear failure. You fear success. You don’t have the skills you need. Or (fill in the blank).

Now that you’ve identified some ways that are keeping you from making changes, it’s time to pray, make a plan and take action.

Prayer is key because that’s where the power comes from. You don’t have to do this life in your own strength. It’s God’s power at work in us and through us that makes real and lasting changes. He is the engine to your boat. And He wants you to succeed!

Ask God to help you make a plan and prioritize: What needs to change? Where do you start? How can you find the resources you need to get where you really want to go? And what action steps do you need to take to get there?

Then, take action. Do something. Take one small step at a time. Don’t freak yourself out by trying to do too much at once.

Momentum builds as you take one step, and then another.

May God give you the time, energy, resources, motivation—and all you need to make changes in your life. May He give you the power and strength, and open doors for great opportunities. He is for you. He is with you.

Step by step. Choice by choice. Day by day things start to change, and you are closer to what you truly desire.

By Jackie M. Johnson

How to Beat the Mid-Winter Blues

It’s January. Christmas is over. New Year’s Eve has passed. And the holiday celebrating has come to an end.

You may be feeling tired, or sad, or a bit gloomy these days.

Maybe it’s because the holiday season wasn’t what you thought it would be—for whatever reason. You’re still reeling from a hurtful comment from a friend or recovering from a sugar hangover from eating way too many sweets.

Or, maybe you were blessed to spend happy times with family and friends over Christmas and now you’re sad to see them go.

Then there’s the fact that, in most parts of the country, January is cold, gray, and dark most of the time. And that doesn’t help your mood.

Now what?

Here are three essential things I’ve found helpful to beat the mid-winter blues and start the New Year on a solid footing.

1. Get a new vision for your life. One of the best things about a new year is that you get to start over.

On New Year’s Eve, I love watching the gigantic glittering ball drop in New York’s Times Square on TV. Goodbye old year, hello new one!

To me, December 31 is like a period at the end of a very long sentence; it’s closure on the year gone by.

And, in a single instance, a new year begins. Boom! I have a fresh start. A new beginning.

With hope and joy, I anticipate all that God may have for me in the 365 days ahead. I think about what I want to change in my life and how I want things to be different—and better—one year from now.

Instead of resolutions, I make intentional prayers and ask God to bless my health and finances, my career and my community (family, friends and others). I ask him for the awesome man of God he has for me to marry and do life with together. I ask God for wisdom in how I can serve and bless others, and have courage and joy no matter what may come. I give Him praise and thank God for all He has done and for who He is—loving, wise, powerful and good. And so much more.

What about you?

What do you want to change in your life in the next year? How do you want this year to be different? Ask God to show you what He has for you so you can look forward with greater hope. and take actions steps to get closer to your goals.

2. Ask for God’s help. Many of us make New Year’s resolutions and then bail on them a few weeks, or days, later.

I don’t make resolutions any more. Why? Because in my own human strength (or should I say in my own human weakness), I can’t always keep the promises I make to change.

Instead, I pray. I ask the Lord, the ultimate source of power, love and wisdom—the One who created us and loves us most—to help me do what I cannot do on my own: change. Have self control. Set limits. Get up and go.

Real and lasting change is truly possible with God’s power at work in us.

So whether your goals for the year ahead include shedding pounds, getting out of debt, or finally doing that thing you just never get around to doing, ask God to empower you.

And then remember: Life doesn’t change one day at a time, but one choice at a time. Choice by choice, moment by moment—with God’s power at work in you—transformation happens.

3. Get inspired. Lastly, but most importantly, let God’s Word be the fuel for your faith.

Here are eight great Bible verses for the year ahead. May they give you courage, hope, and joy despite your circumstances.

The mind of man plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9 (NASB)

Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long
Psalm 25: 4-5

As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.
Psalm 71:14

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
Psalm 32:8

For we live by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7

See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19

“For I know the plans I have for you,”
declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you
and not to harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will
do the works I have been doing, and they will do
even greater things than these, because
I am going to the Father.
Jesus, in John 14:12

Prayer for the New Year
Lord, I stand at the start of a fresh new year and I ask for Your blessing on the days ahead. Give me wisdom to make right choices. Help me to walk by faith, not my feelings. Give me strength in challenging times, and hope for better days ahead. Teach me to trust You more. And live a live filled with love and joy. I can receive all you have for me and believe for your best. For your Glory! I ask in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

By Jackie M. Johnson

Single Over the Holidays: 3 Great Ways to Find Joy!

Ah, the holidays!

It’s the time of year when singles are more intensely aware of their singleness.

If you’re unmarried, most likely you’ve had to dodge that perennial question from prying relatives or friends at holiday gatherings:

“So, why are you still single?”

Or, maybe you’ve had to deal with the office holiday party dilemma when you don’t have a date, and the “plus one” on the e-vite blinks at you like tree lights gone awry.

For some singles, the Christmas season tends to exaggerate feelings that have been simmering all year long.

It’s a time to connect with loved ones and you feel anything but connected. Suddenly everyone around you seems to have a significant other or spouse and you feel so very solo.

Solitary. Alone.

Then there’s the sting when a pastor closes the Christmas Eve service with an admonishment to “Go and spend time with your families.”

Yeah, thanks, but I don’t have one.

Of course, some people have their family of origin—their parents and siblings—with whom they gather for the holidays.

But for others the cost to travel home for the holiday is simply unaffordable. Or, they don’t get along with some of their family members.

I get it.

It’s not always easy to see happy couples kissing under the mistletoe or walking arm in arm down a snowy sidewalk—laughing all the way—to who knows where.

So how can you enjoy, not just endure the Christmas season?

Here are three (3) great ways to consider to find more JOY in the season:

1. Change your perspective. If you are feeling lonely or blue, try to refocus attention away from self and onto the Savior. Ask him to lighten your mood.

You may feel sad or other emotions—and you have a right to your feelings. But don’t set up camp there; don’t stay there. Feel the pain, ask God to heal your heart, and then move forward allowing God to heal you in His timing.

Indeed, changes may not happen overnight. Surely, there is a time to grieve or feel miserable. But there is also a time to wipe away the tears, put on your coat, and go build new Christmas memories.

Oftentimes, the joy returns and new hope arises.

2. Find “family” where you can if yours is not available. My single friend Denise has often hosted a Christmas Day dinner for singles who have no place to go for the holiday. Or, have a gathering with friends and celebrate the season together.

3. Give and serve others. Doing things for others will bring JOY, not only to the people you help, but also to you!

Sharing a smile or a hello with your coffee barista or the clerk at the dry cleaning counter can make a difference. Some folks I know go to a local nursing home to sing Christmas carols or go to a local soup kitchen to serve food and spend time with those who are often forgotten.

3. Most importantly, draw near to the reason for the season: Jesus Christ. Reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and why we celebrate.

Remember the true story of the Christ child, the Son of God, who came to save the world and teach us how to love and have a better life. (Read Matthew 1 or Luke 2.)

Discover the love that changes everything. And you just may be amazed at what happens.

Instead of bemoaning your current state of singleness you can make new choices.

May God invade your heart with JOY—at Christmas and all the year through.

Merry Christmas!

By Jackie M. Johnson

How to Deal With Difficult People

Are you dealing with a difficult person right now?

Whether it’s in your home or workplace or someplace else, it can be emotionally exhausting.

Maybe you have a co-worker who’s an arrogant know-it-all.

Perhaps your spouse constantly nags you like a woodpecker on an oak tree.

Could it be that you have to live with the hurtful words of someone who is critical and manipulative?

You have choices
I’m sure you have your own list of things that annoy you—like people who ignore, interrupt or insult you.

No matter what happens or how people treat you, you can choose how you will respond.

You can respond defensively and angrily, or kindly with respect and tact. You can change the subject. You can walk away. Or, you could choose not to argue and take the high road.

You have choices.

Of course, it’s natural to be offended when someone hurts our feelings, but what we do with that offense—whether we hold it inside and let it fester, or release it—makes all the difference.

Here are some helpful ways to deal with conflict and strife from the difficult people in your life:

First, pray and ask God how to best handle your challenging situation. God may take you out of it, or He will sustain you while He creates an exit. Or, knowing the creative God we serve, He may just do something else.

Jesus had some remarkable things to say about dealing with difficult people. He said: love your enemies. And often, our human nature wants to do otherwise.

Sometimes the most loving thing to do is to “speak the truth in love” and say the hard things, with kindness and tact, but also with boldness and truth.

Keep perspective. Hurting people hurt other people. They may have issues in their life that make them act the way they do.

Of course, past pain in someone else’s life doesn’t excuse bad behavior in yours. Knowing that, however, may help you to better deal with the situation. Often the problem is not about you, it’s about them.

Communicate with tact. Don’t blame or accuse, instead say, “When you (describe their action), I feel (describe how you feel). “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).

However, there may be times when, despite your best efforts, you may need to leave the room and handle the situation another time so anger can diffuse.

Ask yourself, “What can I learn from this?” Maybe you are learning deeper depths of patience through a challenging relationship. I remember my own lessons years ago in learning to stand up for myself, when someone was treating me poorly.

Most importantly, pray—for the person who’s annoying you, and for grace and strength in your response. Your prayers are powerful and effective!

Philippians 4:13 states, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Know that you cannot do it in your own strength. You may want to get angry and lash out; you may think revenge is the only way, but God can empower you and enable you to reply in God-honoring ways.

Coping with difficult people is part of life. It isn’t always easy, but our all-powerful and loving God can give you the strength and wisdom for your challenges.

Have hope .Trust God. Take action. And watch what happens.

You may just be positively surprised.

POWERFUL PRAYER
Lord, I have a challenging person in my life right now, and sometimes I don’t know what to do. You tell us to love our enemies, and my human nature wants to do otherwise. Will show me how and give me the strength to do so? Pour out your power in me to show kindness, even when it is not merited by another person. Give me discernment to know when to face a situation and when to walk away. I choose the high road of love; protect my heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
Psalm 34:19

For more help and hope from Jackie M. Johnson, check out “Praying with Power When Life Gets Tough

By Jackie M. Johnson

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