Just breathe this Christmas

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.” Luke 2:14 ❤ Verse on Bible Hub

Just breathe …

One question we tend to ask each other this time of year is, “Are you ready for Christmas?” We ask our girlfriends and our coworkers. We even ask the checkout person at the supermarket.

A typical response might be: “Not even close! Still got this and that to take care of!”

Just breathe this Christmas

How many times have we started early in November with good intentions and high expectations of enjoying the Christmas Season?

We begin early to fill out greeting cards, plan out the baking schedule, put up the Christmas tree, decorate our homes, and shop for gifts. Pretty much … make our ‘lists’ and check them twice!

We want so much for everything to be beautiful and perfect! And when something goes wrong, we’re disappointed. Our hearts and minds are full of schedules, lists, priorities and deadlines. With no room left for Jesus!

To have a perfect Christmas, we need to place our expectations in the right place … 

In Christ alone. 

Not in gifts, perfect circumstances or family members getting along.

And I promise you, Jesus will never disappoint! In fact, we may just make room for a life changing experience if we let Him be the center of our Christmas!

Just breathe Him in and breathe Him out. Slowly. Purposefully.

Allow Him to come into focus and all else to fade.

Repeat often …

Then gracefully permit everything and everyone else to be beautifully imperfect this year.

Christmas is coming whether we allow ourselves to enjoy it or not. I’m praying for you to be blessed this year!

We know of a young lady who prepared her heart and enjoyed the perfect Christmas.

The very first Christmas in fact!

Just breathe this Christmas

400 years had passed since the Book of Malachi was penned. And in the midst of this extreme darkness, God chose to suddenly shine His light the brightest!

Luke chapter one is where Mary’s story begins. Six months after her cousin Elizabeth conceived, we find the angel Gabriel visiting Mary. Lets listen in:

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

Confused and disturbed, Mary contemplated what the angel could have meant.

“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of his ancestor David. And He will reign over Israel forever; His Kingdom will never end!”

Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and He will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.”

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. Luke 1:26-38 Verse on Bible Hub

I love Mary’s response, don’t you? She was initially startled by the angel’s appearance, but Mary completely yielded her heart to receive all the Lord had for her! She didn’t argue or resist.

In fact, she responded with a pure heart of faith and obedience and she enjoyed the privilege of walking out His promise and seeing it birthed.

God in turn encouraged her by sending confirmation along the way. I love when He does that!

A huge confirmation came just a few days later when Mary ran for the hills to visit Elizabeth. The Bible says:

Just breathe this Christmas

At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” Luke 1:41-45 (Passage on Bible Gateway)

Mary responded with a heart full of joy. Praises spilled from her lips for her God in what is known as “The Magnificat: Mary’s Song of Praise”

Fast forward to a crisp evening in Bethlehem where Mary gives birth to Jesus. She lovingly and snugly wraps her sweet baby in strips of cloth and lays Him in a manger because their was no room for them in town. Luke 2:6-7 NLT (Passage on Bible Gateway)

Heaven rejoiced that night! A host of angels appeared to a group of shepherds in a nearby field. With the radiance of the Lord’s glory shining all around them, they sang praises to God! The shepherds quickly set out to find Mary and Joseph and when they saw the baby, they told EVERYONE what the angels had said about the child. And everyone was astonished. Luke 2:8-20 NLT (Passage on Bible Gateway)

Mary was not astonished.

I imagine she just smiled as she quietly sat beside her sleeping baby and took it all in. Another confirmation for her heart.

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19 (Verse on Bible Hub)

Mary’s story is one of a surrendered heart. Sweet friend, I pray that we will surrender and prepare our hearts for His visitation this Christmas also.

“You will seek Me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” Jeremiah 29:13 (Verse on Bible Hub)

Just Breathe this Christmas xoxo

Are you ready for Christmas? Will you yield your heart to Jesus and make room to receive all He has for you? Heaven is cheering you on! And we are praying for you sweet lady!

A reader will be randomly selected on Thursday, December 14 2017. She will receive this ‘JUST BREATHE’ Locket from us as a Christmas gift. (Essential Oil not included)


JUST BREATHE at https://www.freshgracefortoday.com

Are you ready to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?
Please CLICK HERE and we will be honored to pray with you.

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37 Comments

  1. Sweet post for our Lord! I enjoyed the Biblegateway.com links. I have never done that before……. I would like to learn someday! Keep blogging for Christ. Hugs sister.

    1. Thank you so much Tammy!! We will chat about the links k? Hugs and a very Merry Christmas to you my Sister!! ❤️

  2. Better late than ever right ? Just breathe is a song I love to hum these days because the exhaustion from running after my toddlers seem to be increasing everyday.

    But breathing in sync with Christ helps me to give my loads to Him.

    1. Diana, I love that! Breathing in sync with Christ!! I just prayed for the Lord to bless you with extra grace to be able to take care of you also sweet girl while you are taking care of your babies!! Merry Christmas Diana!! ❤️

  3. I love this advice: “gracefully permit everything and everyone else to be beautifully imperfect this year”. And thanks for reminding us of Mary’s example of having a heart that is surrendered to God. xoxo

    1. Thank you so much Edith! I hope you have a super blessed Christmas this year!! ❤️

  4. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the hype and forgot the reason for the season and not be as open as Mary. Thanks for the reminder to stay focused on Christ in the midst of all this.

    1. It is so easy for me to get caught up, and its a lot of times not even bad things, but still it distracts me from Jesus and when I do that, I feel no life flowing through me. Bless you Ava!! Merry Christmas to you and yours! ❤️

      1. God bless you too and Merry Christmas!

  5. Amid all the hustle and bustle of “getting ready for Christmas,” this is definitely a great reminder of it’s true meaning. Thank you! Xx

    1. Thank you Nina! Blessings to you and your family this Christmas! ❤️

  6. A perfectly imperfect Christmas sounds wonderful. Thanks for the reminder to just breathe right now!

    1. Thank you Lori!! Merry Christmas to you and your family!! Be blessed!! ❤️

  7. Have a blessed Christmas!!
    Great post!

    1. Merry Christmas to you also Lureta!! Praying many Blessings on you and your family!! ❤️

  8. This is wonderful! If only we could all be so bold as to praise God in those sometimes startling and confusing situations. What a wonderful example Mary was! Merry Christmas!

    1. Yes definitely! I want to become bolder in Christ and trust Him instantly even when things don’t make sense! Merry Christmas Shannon!! ❤️

  9. Thank you and may Christ bless you during this wonderous and warm holiday season.

    1. Clare awe … praying for Jesus to bless you also this Christmas!!! ❤️

  10. “We just have to place our expectations in the right place. In Christ alone.” I love this, Donna. If we keep our eyes focused on Christ during this holiday season it is so much easier to get through it whether we are ready for it or not.

    1. Lori yes!! I have to watch where I place my expectations. I very easily can find myself placing them in other people. I have to place them in Christ alone!! ❤️

  11. I absolutely LOVE Mary’s response to the angel’s absurd news! I have been convicted by her faith-filled, abandoned response more than once in my lifetime!
    Oh, to have a heart that trusts so deeply, and is so surrendered to the Lord.
    I’m ready for the rest and family time that this season brings. ❤️

    1. Me too, Rachel!! I have been convicted too! I want to so trust the Lord that my immediate response to Him is that He can do whatever He wants with my life!! I need to grow in this area of pure trust! ❤️

  12. This is so beautiful Donna! I love how trusting and submissive Mary was. I really want to be that way too. Thank you for reminding us of how peaceful this season can be if we just focus on our loving and giving Savior and the miracle of His birth. Also, thank you for giving us the link to The Magnificat: Mary’s Song of Praise. I enjoyed reading that and it was a good example of the praise I should sing to Him as well. I pray that you and your family feel the wonder and joy of that first Christmas and that the peace of Jesus’ presence is with you always! Love you!

    P.S. I love your white chocolate and macadamia oatmeal cookies!

    1. Lisa, I am praying for your family to enjoy this Christmas also! Love you!! XOXO Donna

  13. So true! In a season where everything is all aflurry, it is easy to forget why we are celebrating in the first place! I always want to have young Mary’s quiet resolve when it comes to doing God’s work. It’s not easy to shift gears or change assignments. Howrver, I hope I always respond like Mary — with joy and wonder.

    1. Me too Annette!! I hope I can have a responsive and obedient heart like hers!! Praying for that for all of us!! ❤️

  14. Merry Christmas to you. What a lovely article. Makes me feel peaceful and reflective of how we should all be more like Mary every single day.

    1. Thank you Clare!! I’m glad it brought you peace and reflection! What a blessing for you to share that! ❤️

  15. This was beautiful Donna .. Mary didn’t really hesitate when the angel Gabriel appeared.. her love for the Lord was a shining example for us all…

    1. Thank you sweet Vickie!! Love you!! ❤️

  16. wow this is awesome! Also the bracelet is beautiful!

    1. Thank you for taking time to read this and respond, Mihaela!! I am blessed to have you here! ❤️

  17. I’m totally not ready for the regular traditions of the Christmas season, but I’m definitely ready for the rest that comes with that time off to enjoy our family time and focus on the birth of our Savior and Lord. 🙂

    1. Me too Annie!! I have to constantly remind myself what is important or I get overwhelmed!! Blessings to you! ❤️

  18. May you and yours have a Blessed Christmas!

    1. Thank you Sheila!! Blessings to you and your family also!! ❤️

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Donna

Donna loves God's Word and is passionate to see women fall in love with Jesus. She and hubby live on the Emerald Coast where she loves serving with the Intercessory Prayer Team at their home church and volunteering with the Bible Study Companion Team at Proverbs 31 Online Bible Studies. She likes spending time with friends & family, hiking, painting, swimming and taking long walks on the beach at sunrise. "She is blessed who believed the Lord will keep His promises to her." Luke 1:45 ❤

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