Well, it’s January. Time to move on to the next thing, right?
Nope. Nope. Nope.
I’m going to throw out something really crazy: Just because December is over doesn’t mean Christmas is over.
We have decorations that we only put out at Christmas, food that we only eat at Christmas, and music we listen to only at Christmas. So it’s easy to see why we might feel like the Christmas story is only for Christmas.
We spend December celebrating THAT Jesus came. During our other days we walk in the WHY He came.
Why DID He come?
He came to be with us in our after-December-days, in our after-the-holidays-moments, in our this-is-so-messed-up struggles.
This is important to remember because if He is with us in these days, moments, and struggles, then we are not alone.
God knew that we could not navigate life in this world on our own without being crushed by the brokenness. We need God with us, we need His power living and working in us, we need His grace, His forgiveness, His redemption.
We need Him and He is with us, in every moment, in every situation. This is Christmas in Everyday life.
What does a Christmas in Everyday Life mindset look like?
Does it mean we wear Christmas sweaters year-round? Keep our decorations up? Do something really crazy and make peanut brittle or fruit cake in April?
We could, but that’s not really what it’s about.
A Christmas in Everyday Life mindset is one that believes that “God with us” is true in every moment, every situation.
It means praying prayers that are honest like, I don’t know what to do. I need Your help. I need wisdom.
Your Word says You are with me, but I’ve never felt more alone. Please teach me how to see you in my everyday life.
The manger is empty which tells us Jesus knows what it is like to walk through this broken world. He KNOWS.
The cross is empty because Jesus broke the hold sin and death have on us. He broke the brokenness of this world and began the process of making things right.
Because of this truth, we can walk through our days looking for the ways that God is with us. Looking for His fingerprints.
The definition of a fingerprint is “A unique pattern that presents distinctive evidence of a specific person.”
In mysteries, a fingerprint at a crime scene puts the person at the scene. In the same way, when we learn to look for God’s fingerprints we will see evidence that He is with us all the time.
It is something that we have to learn to do.
God often reaches out to us through the people in our lives.
My daughter has had a rough week. One of her friends called to check on her. And another came by with a hug and a gift. Those friends and the way they love my girl are God’s fingerprints in her life. They let her know she is not alone in her rough days.
He also speaks to us through His Word. Even if it’s just for a few minutes, reading God’s Word helps us get to know God and to see His hand in our life.
2 ways to Cultivate a Christmas in Everyday Mindset
Keep one Christmas decoration out that reminds you that God is with you. I chose a large ornament that has “O Come Let Us Adore Him” in beautiful script. It is hanging where I will see it every day.
Look for His fingerprints in your days and write it down. I created a place to list the ways you see His fingerprints in your everyday life. Writing down helps us remember. It also gives us a record to go back and look at on the days when we are discouraged or weighed down.
So, while the world marches on to the next thing, can we pause for a moment?
Can we ask God to help us see that He is with us?
Because if we begin to see His fingerprints in the moments of our days, we will begin to believe that we are not alone.
And when we believe that we are not alone, we will begin to live life differently – we will walk through our days with peace in our hearts and bold hope in our steps.