Christmas in Everyday Life

We Are Not Alone in Our Battles

Jesus became one of us and was tempted in every way we are tempted. He fought the same battles waging inside of us and won. Not to gloat over us, but to say, “I know the battle. Come closer and find your strength in Me. Come and receive forgiveness. Take My hand and I will fill you with hope. Come to the throne of grace in your time of need, with confidence, to find help.”

Jesus is with us, so we are not alone. He gives us power to fight temptation, so we can say no to sin. He offers forgiveness when we fail and gives us strength to get back up on our feet and walk beside Him.

– Excerpt from In Unexpected Ways: Christmas in Everyday Life

White Water Rafting & Christmas

The sounds of rushing water grew louder as we approached the turn in the river.

I tightened my grip on the t-handle of my paddle nervously.

“Listen to my commands.” our guide reminded us.

We plunged into the raging waters.

“Forward 2!”

There was splashing water, rocks on every side, and no time to look around. My eyes were on my paddle as I listened intently for the guide’s commands.

After making it through, we raised our oars in a group high-five, adrenaline and relief coursing through us.

But there was no time to relax; our guide was already preparing us for the next set of rapids and the commands he would use. He also told us what to do if we fell out of our raft. He wanted us to be prepared, no matter what happened.

We appreciated the fact that he talked us through each rapid before we got to it. No one doubted him or questioned him. We followed his instructions.

Why did our entire raft follow our guide? Was it because he was a nice guy? Or because he made us laugh? What made us trust him to get us through all the different types of rapids on this river?

He had been down these rapids before. He knew what to do to make it through safely. And he was in the raft with us, with each rock we got stuck on, each wave that knocked us sideways. He was with us, guiding us through each moment.

And that reminds me of Christmas.

It is a perfect picture of how Jesus is with us in every moment of every day. In the calm moments before the rapid, in the middle of the chaos, and afterwards, even if we fall out of the raft. He isn’t shouting commands at us, though. We have His Words in the Bible and those words will guide us if we focus on them.

Like the guide and the rapids, Jesus walked through this world. He has experienced the things you and I are experiencing. And He did that so He could guide and encourage us in every moment of our days, right here in 2022.

Our rafting guide never had to remind us that he was with us in the raft. We were very aware of our dependency on him.

But remembering that Jesus is with us and responding to life like He is with us takes time. Our hearts are quick to forget, especially when we feel like we are in control. As we get to know God and read what He says in His Word, we become aware of our dependency on Him in the rapids and the calm.

And better yet, He is a guide that will never fail us. We can trust Him.

The Psalms are a great place to begin seeing our dependence on God. “David kept his mind so intently fixed upon the providence of God, as to be fully persuaded, that whenever any difficulty of distress should befall him, God would be always at hand to assist him.” (Martin Luther)

We can also focus on God’s care and provision for us so much that we become convinced that He is always with us and working on our behalf.

This is Christmas in everyday life.

Searching for God’s Fingerprints in Everyday Life

If you could be like any detective, who would it be?

Would you be Maxwell Smart from the TV series Get Smart? He had plenty of gadgets, was sometimes distracted by his gadgets, was bumbling and clueless at times, but eventually got the bad guy in the end.

Or would you prefer to be like Sherlock Holmes? Stealthy, logical, highly intelligent, a master at finding hidden clues.

If I were to choose a detective that is most like me, I would choose a certain female detective who is well known by the 4 and below age group.

Dora the Explorer.

Other than the fact that she is animated, and Hispanic, and a child, we have lots in common. We both like to sing. We both like backpacks. Neither of us can read a map. But mainly, it’s the fact that in each episode the clues are right in front of her and she still needs help from the audience.

Yep. That’s definitely me.

Last week I encouraged you to look for God’s fingerprints in your life – evidence that He is with you in every moment and in every situation.

Looking for God’s fingerprints in our everyday lives is a skill to be learned. And once we get the hang of it, we will discover, like Dora, that His fingerprints have been right in front of us all along.

Why is this important?

If we learn to see His fingerprints in the moments of our days, we will begin to believe that we are not alone. And believing that we are not alone changes the way we see life.

It’s easy to begin. We can start with a simple prayer: God, help me to see You in my everyday life. Open my eyes and help me see that I am not alone.

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.

Where can I see His fingerprints, you might ask. Where is the evidence that He is with me?

His kindness is evident through the simple, good things that all men enjoy: the rain, the beauty of a sunrise, a stranger’s smile. Happiness, goodness, celebration.

These things are not reserved only for those who trust God, but are given to all people, even those who are enemies of God. He is patient and merciful towards those who reject Him.

2.The way He restrains evil and sin in our world. As crazy as things are, they would be even worse if He did not hold back the tide of sin and evil.

3. The way God gives all people the ability to function within a society or in community: to care for one another and to show love and compassion to each other. The fact that we understand innately that some things are good and some things are evil and harmful is evidence that He is with us.

When we acknowledge that God concerns Himself with every aspect of life we will see Him working in all aspects of our life.

God, help me to see You in my everyday life. Open my eyes and help me see that I am not alone.

I’d love to know the ways God answers this simple prayer in your life. Share about it on social media and use #Christmasineverydaylife so you can encourage others.

Cultivating a Christmas in Everyday Life Mindset

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.