When You Rise: Focusing My Mind On Jesus This Christmas (Plus a FREE Printable!)

It's the most ~~stressful~~ wonderful time of the year.

There are presents to buy and goodies to bake and memories to make. There are late nights wrapping presents and office Christmas parties to attend. There is that elusive perfect picture yet to be taken that has to go on those still left to create Christmas cards. There are travel plans to make and then packing to be done.

It's so easy for me (because I have done it in the past) to look at the approaching season with a to-do list mentality. How much can I accomplish before such and such date? How can I maximize the minimal amount of time I have before it all goes down? Sadly, I can very easily turn Christmas into just another task to mark off my list.

We also travel a lot during the Christmas season. My joy and wonder can get lost in making sure I have every present wrapped and ready before we leave. Then lost again in the eighth load of laundry I have to do when we get home. I can spend all my time trying to get somewhere or get something done and then never fully realize or revel in the true miracle of this season. Yikes!

So, this year, I have been praying that God would renew my mind with the WONDER of this season, HIS season! I know that His Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12) and that I am transformed by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:2) and so I am going to stand on those promises this Christmas.

I came up with a list of scriptures that I am praying will draw my focus to Christ in the midst of this truly wonderful and joyful Christmas season. Yes, there will still be presents to wrap and parties to attend, but I can meditate on the miracle of Jesus coming to earth as a human baby and I can ponder these things in my heart as Mary did (Luke 2:19). And I can not steamroll through the Christmas season this year! I can choose to sit and dwell and pray and meditate on the TRUTH, on Jesus Christ! Having these scriptures up and around my house keeps me in the Word even when I can't be IN the Word. :)

(I cut mine apart and laminated them for durability and use year after year!)

I'd love to share them with you! There are 10 scriptures that I chose (big thanks to Desiré for a few of them!) as I looked through my Bible and focused my heart on the birth and life of Jesus. I left two blank that you could fill in if there is a specific scripture you are working on memorizing or meditating over this month.

I taped this one up to the window above my kitchen sink (Yep, those are my dirty dishes!) since I tend to have lots of time to meditate while cleaning up our messy kitchen!!!

I hope these are a blessing to you this season! May we all stop and breathe in the wonderful wonder of the King coming to earth as a baby and for His ultimate sacrifice on the cross for our sins!

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3