“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
The traditions and celebrations of Christmas can fill our calendars, hearts, and bellies in the blink of an eye! It’s easy for me to get exasperated by holiday hustle and bustle. The laundry still has to get done while events and shopping lists pile up! When the budget and my pants already feel tight, I catch myself talking about how tired and busy I am more than the reason for the season.
Mama, can you imagine what it was like to be Mary, the mother of Jesus? She was a teenager giving birth for the first time in conditions that were far from ideal. Think about Jesus, the One whose birth we celebrate this season. He experienced greater trial, distress, and persecution than I can fathom. He still stopped for the one. He still loved. He still gave.
Jesus came and met us in our humanity so that the trials of this world (and the ways we respond to them) would not define who we are. If you find yourself weary in this “holly jolly” season, take heart, Mama. It is not your burden to usher in the “magic” of Christmas.
The true Christmas miracle is the Son of God coming to earth, right in the middle of our messes, to bear our burdens. Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light, even though the circumstances He lived in were not. When we center ourselves on Him, exchanging the real Christmas story for our Christmas circumstances, the wonder of this season shines brighter than the Christmas lights.
Sweet friend, as Christmas calendars fill up, fill your heart first with the miraculous presence of Christ. He came so that we could have His Holy Spirit alive and active in us all the time. The greatest legacy we could pass down to our children is the true joy and peace of Christ living in us!
Love,
Kacy Ladd and the Help Club for Moms Team
Five years into single parenting in the African bush, a Tennessee man also entered the mission field. We met and decided to stay in South Africa and get married.
We are now living in Cape Town, South Africa building up the local church with our teenager and toddler boys.
Help Club for Moms became a lifeline to me when I was lonely on the mission field with a new baby in a foreign country. I am so thankful to write for this community and to document God’s work in my own family at http://www.ladd.family
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- Turn Your Groaning Into Gratitude - July 13, 2023