peace on earth, goodwill to men

Sunday, December 24, 2017


Merry Christmas, friends. ♥

Christmas has always been one of my favorite seasons. I'm the girl who wears jingle bell earrings and dances around to Christmas music all day long. It's so warm, and filled with joy and festivities. It's that magical time of the year that just makes you get a little bit excited.

But at the same time, I know that some years, it isn't so magical.

Even as much as I love the season, it's not always all sugarplums and stockings.

There's a lot of stress that comes along with Christmas. Stress to get all of your shopping done, to make sure that you have the perfect gift for everyone you know. Stress to get the house cleaned and the meals planned and to make sure that you're able to spend time with the various people in your life that you care about. There are gifts to be wrapped and cookies to be baked, and as much fun as the different tasks are, it also can turn into a lot of pressure to make sure that you get everything done.

Then you have the fact that sometimes, life is just hard, plain and simple. Life is hard, and that doesn't magically disappear the moment that the calendar flips to December 1st. That's unfortunately been something super poignant in the lives of many people that I know this holiday season, and I hate that with everything in me. I hate watching all of the hurt and knowing that it can't be fixed until God is ready to fix it. I hate the waiting of it, I hate the fact that things like this exist and that everyone can't just have a picture perfect Christmas season with families sitting around the fireplace together, healthy and whole and happy and laughing as they drink cocoa and wrap presents. I hate that with everything in me.

But, unfortunately, that's not the way that life works, is it?

As much as I think that we'd all love for Christmas to be stress-free and pain-free and perfect, it's never going to be like that, no matter how hard that we try. And the more that we dwell on that, the more that it's going to hurt.

So, to the person reading this- hi. Maybe you're having a year where things are going pretty smoothly for you, and Christmas is going wonderfully for you. I really, truly hope so. I hope that with everything in me, and if you are, I am so happy for you. But maybe you're not. Maybe that's not where things are for you this year, and the whole holiday season has been one long struggle. Maybe it's been big things, or maybe you're just dealing with lots of little problems and stresses, and you're feeling a bit overwhelmed right now.

The other day, I was reading through a devotional, and one particular sentence stuck out to me.

Let the Prince of Peace be your peace this holiday season. 

Because, at the end of the day, that's what it's really about, isn't it? It's not about making sure that everything's perfect. It's not about all of the little worries, and if you've got some big stuff going on in your life at the moment, He can still be your peace in that, too.

The point of Christmas was never to be a day to eat a ton of food and open gifts and surround yourself with twinkle lights. (And believe me- I love twinkle lights.) The celebration that Christmas has become is a lot of fun, yes- but that's not the true point.

The true point came over two thousand years ago, with a baby who came to give us all a new hope.

This holiday season, I want to challenge you to take a breath. Take a step back. And let yourself rest. Stop worrying about the little details that aren't quite "perfect" in your mind. Let the ache in your heart ease, just a bit. And let Him be your peace, throughout whatever it is that you're going through this season.

Even if you're hurting this year- do what you can to make the world a little lighter, a little more like that perfect Christmas that we all wish could happen for everyone. Tidings of comfort and joy. 

Take a breath. Let go of your stress. All is calm, all is bright.

Praise that even throughout the mess and pain, there is still truth to cling to. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.

Find joy, no matter how small. May your days be merry and bright. 

Let Him be your peace. Peace on earth, goodwill to men.

13 comments:

  1. Merry Christmas Grace! This post is wonderful! Our Christmas Mass homily was all about those peaceful moments. "May peace be with you, and with your spirit too." The message is really lovely. Have a wonderful Holidays.

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  2. This resonates with my soul (-.-)/<3 Thank you for giving me a moment to breathe. Merry Christmas sweet friend <3

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  3. This is such a beautiful post, seriously you almost made me cry, but just like in a 'you-completely-struck-me-in-the-heart-with-your-writing-and-words' kind of way, Merry Chrisrmas Grace Anne!! <3

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  4. Oh I love this so much :) This is so encouraging and hopeful. I hope you have a very merry christmas! <33

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  5. I love this post so much! Merry Christmas!

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  6. Wow. This was really insightful and very true and I definitely needed this knowledge in my brain!

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  7. I loved this so so much! Merry Christmas! (one day late) ;P

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  8. Grace! I enjoyed reading this! I agree that it's so easy to get caught up in the fun of Christmas and forget about the true reason of Christmas: Jesus ("Jesus is the reason for the season") I hope you had a great Christmas girlie:)

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  9. Awww I love this post so much. Thank you for writing it.

    Merry (late) Christmas, Grace Anne!

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  10. Your blog is beautiful! You earned a little follow!

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  11. I love it! just for its title, it expresses so much already to everyone.

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  12. This is such a beautiful post, like in a you completely struck me in the heart with your writing and words' kind of way.

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