Christmas Eve De-stressor

It’s Christmas Eve. It is likely you are preparing for a celebration sometime today or tomorrow. Perhaps you are hosting the party or driving to the party. Maybe you have traveled a great distance or others have traveled to see you. Maybe you are alone this year. No matter what your circumstances may be, the celebrations surrounding the birth of the King, at least the way we tend to celebrate, can be stressful.

It is Christmas Eve, and it is the Lord’s Day, as well. As I sit in my dark, quiet house this Christmas Eve morning, having begun to prepare for the day, I want to encourage you to take time to bolster your heart, soul, and mind by doing three things today.

First, I encourage you to pause. The next couple of days may be filled with people, expectations, opinions, and stress. Pause this morning and tomorrow morning. Enjoy the solitude of taking a break. Give yourself a time-out to focus on the meaning of the celebration. Jesus loves you. He came to give you eternal life. That’s worth considering.

Secondly, I hope you will pray. Spend time expressing your love to the Lord. Spend time praying for those with whom you will be spending your holiday. Particularly pray for the days to go well and to reflect the true meaning of Christmas. Pray for those difficult people. Pray for your attitude and words to be loving and kind.

The third thing I encourage you to do is to participate. Most churches are offering at least one worship service on this, the eve of when we celebrate the Lord’s birthday. Take time to do it well. If you cannot go to a morning service, perhaps attend one in the evening. If you are unable to get out today, join in one of the many services being streamed today. After all, it is the Lord’s Day and Christmas Eve.

Pause, pray, and participate. These three actions will help you keep the holiday well and reduce the stress surrounding the celebration. I wish you a Merry Christmas.

Dr. Kevin Garrett has served for over thirty years in the areas of music ministry, student ministry, recreation ministry, education ministry, and as a pastor. He has written curricula for youth and adult ministries for LifeWay Christian Resources. Kevin’s passion is to help individuals become spiritually healthy and lead healthy churches. He has a keen interest in helping leaders and churches find vision and engage with all generations within the challenges of the twenty-first century. He holds a BS in Education and an MA in Music from Jacksonville State University. He also holds an MDiv, DMin from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, with specializations in church health and next generation ministries. He and his wife, Tina, joyfully serve as pastor of First Baptist Church of Atmore, AL. The two enjoy time with their children, Geoffrey and Sydney Garrett, and Nelson and Brooke Garrett, as well as with their grandchildren, Jaden, Ariel, and Elise. To read more of his work visit his website. 

Image by Andy Oldham using DeepAI

Christmas Eve De-stressor

It’s Christmas Eve. It is likely you are preparing for a celebration sometime today or tomorrow. Perhaps you are hosting the party or driving to the party. Maybe you have traveled a great distance or others have traveled to see you. Maybe you are alone this year. No matter what your circumstances may be, the celebrations surrounding the birth of the King, at least the way we tend to celebrate, can be stressful.

It is Christmas Eve, and it is the Lord’s Day, as well. As I sit in my dark, quiet house this Christmas Eve morning, having begun to prepare for the day, I want to encourage you to take time to bolster your heart, soul, and mind by doing three things today.

First, I encourage you to pause. The next couple of days may be filled with people, expectations, opinions, and stress. Pause this morning and tomorrow morning. Enjoy the solitude of taking a break. Give yourself a time-out to focus on the meaning of the celebration. Jesus loves you. He came to give you eternal life. That’s worth considering.

Secondly, I hope you will pray. Spend time expressing your love to the Lord. Spend time praying for those with whom you will be spending your holiday. Particularly pray for the days to go well and to reflect the true meaning of Christmas. Pray for those difficult people. Pray for your attitude and words to be loving and kind.

The third thing I encourage you to do is to participate. Most churches are offering at least one worship service on this, the eve of when we celebrate the Lord’s birthday. Take time to do it well. If you cannot go to a morning service, perhaps attend one in the evening. If you are unable to get out today, join in one of the many services being streamed today. After all, it is the Lord’s Day and Christmas Eve.

Pause, pray, and participate. These three actions will help you keep the holiday well and reduce the stress surrounding the celebration. I wish you a Merry Christmas.