Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

Forgetting Expectations

It’s October, and the air is getting crisper. I make a mental checklist of this years Christmas plans and feel my heart whirling. I want to spend a day baking cookies and making candy with the kids. I want to make my own tree skirt and matching ornaments. I want to shop early and find just the perfect personalized gift for everyone. I want to go to New York City for a weekend and ice skate in Central Park. I want to take my kids to see a live nativity.  Oh, what a perfect Christmas it would be.

Soon after, reality hits.  The combination of a stressy December with my desire to cram multiple memory making opportunities into the season culminated in me having a big, teary, bawling fit. And on Christmas Eve of all days.
I missed my Grandma.  Family get-togethers are long gone.  Someone told my son what his “big” gift was, two days before Christmas.  Self-image issues.  Blah.  Stress.  Blah.  Stress.  Blah. Stress.

I needed to learn to leave the expectations of a perfectly magical {Christmas} behind.


The season will, undoubtedly, hold beautiful moments. But it will also hold cranky, less than cordial, shoppers who sass at you for asking the clerk where the tights are. It will hold kids hyped up about Christmas with a little naughty sprinkled here and there (said naughty might include taking a rubber band to the Christmas service). It might hold adults who don’t mind telling your kids what you bought them. And it could even hold others who don’t mind stirring up trouble for you.

Multiple times today, I’ve found myself praying “Lord, please change my attitude and my heart. Please help my mood and dry my tears. Refocus me on the real reason we celebrate Christmas.”

When it comes down to it, Christmas is simple.  We are the ones that make it complicated.  Christmas is about a baby humbly born in a manger.  A baby that changed the world forever.  When He was born, so was Hope for the hopeless.  When we experience that Hope, we’ll have all the Christmas magic we need.

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Take Flight – A Sisterchicks’ Devotional {book review}

Take Flight
A Sisterchicks’ Devotional
By: Robin Jones Gunn and Cindy Hannan
About the book:

God changes women’s lives through their friendships with each other. Dig deeper into his Word with your girlfriends—and watch your relationships soar! Filled with Scripture, heartfelt devotions, space for jotting thoughts and prayers, travel tips, wise words for women, things to do together—and where to find the best scone.

I have to admit, I have not previously read any of the Sisterchicks’ books. But I can tell you, after reading this devotional I can’t wait to read more!

This book was jam-packed, cover to cover, with emotional and inspirational stories of life and grace. Some of them may bring a smile to your lips or tears to your eyes. And some of them will just make you hug your loved ones. It’s filled with personal stories that everyday people can relate to.

There was one particular day where I was just off. And by off I mean stressy, sassy and feeling sorry for myself. During my quiet-time I picked up my Sisterchicks’ Devotional and started reading. Within miutes I was in awe of how that days devotional fit my day. I would says I was suprised but that’s kinda how God works. I found myself inspired, lifted up and spent some prayer “talk time” with God afterwards.There are so many ideas in the book that can help with self-esteem and having a positive attitude. I would recommend the book to everyone, and I can even see myself giving a copy of the book to a friend as a gift.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review
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