Latest / HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN® / Finding Joy when the Holidays Feel Heavy Ep: 2188

Transcript

Finding Joy when the Holidays Feel Heavy Ep: 2188 · HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN®

• 0:44
  Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Have Faith, Let It Begin.
• 0:46
  Here we are. The holiday season is officially knocking at our door.
• 0:50
  The lights are going up. The music is playing. The stores are decorated.
• 0:54
  And for some of us, the emotions are mixed.
• 0:58
  Oh, man. Some people are excited. Some are exhausted. And some are ready for the holidays.
• 1:03
  And some are thinking, Lord, I'm not feeling feeling at this at all this year.
• 1:08
  And that's OK. If this is you, that's OK. You know, I want you to know right
• 1:12
  now that it's totally understandable.
• 1:15
  It's okay. You're not broken. You're not falling behind. You're not failing
• 1:20
  at the holidays. You're human, and God sees that.
• 1:24
  I'll never forget one year when I thought I'd be the holiday hero.
• 1:28
  I had a plan, lights up early, decorations perfectly organized, holiday baking.
• 1:34
  All right, maybe I didn't bake, but that doesn't matter. I thought But it was
• 1:37
  going to be one of those Hallmark Christmas movie years.
• 1:40
  Instead, the lights were tangled. The decorations were missing.
• 1:45
  The cookies burned. Okay, maybe I did bake that year.
• 1:49
  And Ariel tried to help and somehow turned one cookie sheet into a science experiment.
• 1:55
  The dog Cody, because of course he had to eat half of the gingerbread ornaments.
• 2:00
  I remember thinking, this is Christmas?
• 2:04
  And God was whispering something so simple. that moment. Joy isn't found in
• 2:09
  perfection. It's found in presence.
• 2:12
  For someone listening today, the weight of the holidays isn't funny.
• 2:17
  Maybe you're carrying loss.
• 2:20
  Maybe you're carrying loneliness. Maybe relationships are...
• 2:25
  Is strained. Maybe you're just tired emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
• 2:30
  Sometimes the holiday lights, well, I shouldn't say the lights,
• 2:34
  the holiday highlight the emptiness that we feel inside, but it can be rough. But here's the truth.
• 2:42
  Joy is not the absence of struggle.
• 2:45
  Joy is the presence of God in the middle of it.
• 2:48
  Psalms chapter 30 verses 5, it says, weeping may endure for a night,
• 2:52
  but joy comes in the morning.
• 2:54
  Notice it doesn't say weeping might happen or you should avoid weeping.
• 3:00
  No, it acknowledges the pain.
• 3:03
  It acknowledges the heaviness, but it reminds us the story doesn't end there.
• 3:09
  Joy comes because God comes.
• 3:12
  If you don't feel happy right now, if you feel heavy, if the holiday season
• 3:18
  feels like more pressure than celebration, Listen to me. You're not alone.
• 3:24
  God hasn't forgotten you. And your joy is not gone.
• 3:28
  It's just waiting to be rediscovered. And sometimes, joy begins in the smallest ways.
• 3:35
  A quiet prayer. A warm cup of coffee. A laugh with someone you love.
• 3:40
  A moment of peace. A memory that warms your heart.
• 3:45
  Joy doesn't always shout. Sometimes, joy whispers. So today,
• 3:51
  here's what I want you to do.
• 3:53
  It's something simple. Find one tiny, tiny thing to be thankful for. Just one.
• 4:00
  Don't force a smile. Don't fake happiness. Don't try to pretend everything's okay.
• 4:06
  Just choose one moment, one breath, one blessing, and let that be the spark.
• 4:12
  Because joy doesn't arrive in a flood.
• 4:16
  It arrives in flickers, and those flickers grow into light.
• 4:22
  Let's pray. Heavenly Father, for every listener and listener that's,
• 4:26
  any podcasting family member that's listening today who feels heavy,
• 4:29
  for those who are carrying sadness, pressure, loneliness, or fear.
• 4:34
  Wrap your arms around them.
• 4:36
  Let them feel your presence in a real powerful way. Bring peace to the heart.
• 4:41
  Bring comfort to their mind. Bring light to their day.
• 4:45
  Restore the joy, not the world's version, but the joy that comes from you.
• 4:52
  Steady, gentle, and full of hope.
• 4:55
  I pray this unto you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• 4:58
  In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
• 5:00
  Remember, joy isn't about the perfect holiday. It's about the perfect Father
• 5:04
  who walks with you through every season. And we know who that is.
• 5:09
  Have faith, let it begin. Hey, have faith family.
• 5:13
  Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast with your friends.
• 5:17
  Visit our website, havefaithletitbegin.com. We would love to.