[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.98″ text_font_size=”18px” background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n
The word \u2018Hope\u2019 spelled out on a string of Christmas lights was the first thing I noticed last weekend when I walked into a church. I was there to perform an Advent concert, and I loved seeing \u2018Hope\u2019 welcoming people in.<\/p>\n
What do you hope for?<\/strong><\/p>\n Do you hope this Christmas your kids will be happy with their gifts? Do you hope you will be able to finish all your errands in time to catch a movie or enjoy a peaceful night by the fireplace you so beautifully decorated? Do you hope your lover will finally get you the present you really want (one that can\u2019t be wrapped or boxed in\u2026)?<\/p>\n Or do you hope this Christmas you will feel good enough physically, mentally or emotionally (or all three) to finally enjoy it pain-free?<\/p>\n Do you hope your boss will give you a bonus so you can buy gifts for your kids or groceries you need to make a nice Christmas Day meal?<\/p>\n Do you hope you wake up on Christmas morning and find peace, joy and love waiting for you?<\/p>\n I asked these questions of the audience before I began to sing at the church\u2026 I have no idea whether anyone in the audience considered those questions or their answers, but my hope was that they took the opportunity to reflect on the questions.<\/p>\n Hope is an expectation of something we desire over which we might not have any control. Because we were in a church, I thought \u2018Hope is what we wish for and trust God is in control.\u2019<\/p>\n Then I also remembered something I read in a scientific study: Sometimes a moment of feeling the way we want to feel is all we need to change our life\u2019s paths: excited and appreciated because the kids love their gifts; organized and balanced so we experience more calmness and less stress; loved and safe in someone\u2019s arms \u2013 these moments can become our motivators. Even a short period of living pain-free will motivate us to pick up healthy habits and extend the feeling of wellness. And a generous gift will give us renewed motivation and even be a kickstart to financial stability.<\/p>\n This weekend, can you be more aware of these moments that already possess what you are hoping to experience in your life?<\/p>\n Can you turn them into motivation to do what you can do, so that the impossible becomes probable (and not just \u2018possible\u2019)?<\/p>\n And then, can you trust that God (Love and Life) already has you wrapped up in grace and strength to wake up on Christmas morning (and every day of your life) with all the peace, joy and love you need?<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row background_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.1)” _builder_version=”3.0.98″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”connect with me” _builder_version=”3.0.98″]<\/p>\n CONNECT WITH ME<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.0.98″ text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”|||370px”][et_social_follow icon_style=”flip” icon_shape=”rounded” icons_location=”top” col_number=”auto” outer_color=”dark”][\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.98″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.0.98″][inf_infusionsoft_inline optin_id=”optin_5″][\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.98″ text_font_size=”18px” background_layout=”light”] The word \u2018Hope\u2019 spelled out on a string of Christmas lights was the first thing I noticed last weekend when I walked into a church. I was there to perform an Advent concert, and I loved seeing \u2018Hope\u2019 welcoming people in. What do you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1455,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" When I was little, I loved to write in my journal. I\u2019d write for hours, cut little butterflies and hearts out of magazines and paste them into my diary. Thinking back on it, it seems like the world was on hold while I wrote and reflected on my experiences, or when I wrote about my goals, hopes and dreams. <\/span><\/p> I still love to write in my journal. And I often cut out doodles I find on my kids\u2019 homework and paste them in there. I find it very, very therapeutic. :) But I have no illusion that the world is standing still for me. And, it isn\u2019t of course\u2026 People depend on me to deliver work, my kids depend on me to provide food and shelter, and every day a hundred little tasks quickly pile up if I take too much time off. <\/span><\/p> This weekend between Thanksgiving and the beginning of Advent (25 days before Christmas) is such a great time to press \u201cpause\u201d to reflect back on the year and get ready for the holidays. And yes, decorating our houses is a part of \u2018getting ready,\u2019 but the \u2018inner cleanup\u2019 is more important.\u201d <\/b><\/p> One way to do that is to identify what\u2019s preventing us from being present and calm. <\/span><\/p> Sometimes it\u2019s something we can easily \u2018fix\u2019 by making intentional changes\u2026 (like if I get impatient or frustrated easily, I look at my sleep patterns and my diet - and make appropriate changes). More often it\u2019s some deeper emotional pain that will take more time to heal, like dealing with grief. When it comes, I give myself permission to feel it, but I then let go of it. And I let go of it by focusing on something in my immediate surroundings for which I am grateful.<\/span><\/p> Even just the intent to do this \u2018inner cleanup\u2019 changes the way I feel - and it helps me to be more open to receive the graces and gifts of the sacred season ahead of us. And the very act of reflecting (and journaling) does \u2018pause\u2019 all that\u2019s less important and puts all of the overwhelming rushing around in a different perspective. <\/span><\/p>
\n\u2018Hope brings in the realm of possibility when we are dealing with great uncertainty.\u2019<\/strong>
\nSometimes just a moment of experiencing the change within \u2013 in our heart, mind and body \u2013 can become a powerful motivator in pursuing that change.<\/strong><\/p>\n