{my graphics are free goodies for you}

It’s Christmas. We gather around our trees to exchange brightly wrapped packages and laughter, to make memories that will last for years.

I imagine pulling back the tape, lifting the paper, raising the lid, and here’s the gift I see…

YOUR NAME.

You leaving comments that encourage my heart. You reading silently. You sharing the happy, the hard. When I think of all God has given me this year–my heart overflows when I think of you. Thank you for being here.

I have a gift I’ll keep giving you too–words, written in love, sent to your heart, surrounded by prayers. And next time I see you, I’ll throw in a hug too.

Merry Christmas, dear friends.

The LORD bless you
and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26

XOXO

Holley Gerth

*****************

* This post is part of The Heart of Christmas series we’re going through as we prepare for Christmas. Each message is a short devotional you can read and share in the middle of this busy time of year to help you and those you love stay focused on what matters most—celebrating Jesus! To read all the #heartofchristmas posts, click here.

* Find Books to Encourage Every Woman on Your Christmas List {signed!}

{my graphics are free goodies for you}

In the middle of all the hustle and bustle of the season I keep forgetting.

I want to remember that it’s not about being busy but being blessed.

I want to remember that it’s not about pleasing but being loved.

I want to remember that it’s not about who I am but whose I am that matters most.

Then God taps me on the heart and seems to whisper, “You don’t have to try so hard. Rest. Remember. Enjoy what you’ve already given and received.” I slow, smile. Yes, that’s right. This is what Christmas is all about.

Jesus.

And the beautiful love that compelled Him to come all the way here for me, for you. It’s about the little things too. And what’s smaller than a baby in a manger?

One gift I can offer back this season is simply to remember what’s already true.

I am loved. In Him, I am enough. Because of His grace, I am blessed beyond measure.

XOXO

Holley Gerth

*****************

* This post is part of the Heart of Christmas series we’re going through as we prepare for Christmas. Each message is a short devotional you can read and share in the middle of this busy time of year to help you and those you love stay focused on what matters most—celebrating Jesus! To read all the #heartofchristmas posts, click here.

* Find Books to Encourage Every Woman on Your Christmas List {signed!}

****

Welcome to the Coffee for Your Heart weekly link-up! You’re an encourager so I’m asking you to pour out a little love with your words every Wednesday {link-up goes live at 5:30am CST}. Simply write an encouraging blog post and then share it here. Don’t have a blog? You can still write an encouraging comment. If you’re reading this by email, go to holleygerth.com to see all the fun and join in too.

Pretty please use this button in your blog post so others can easily join in with us {html code in right sidebar}. And when you link up your post, take a moment to leave an encouraging comment on the one that’s linked up just before yours. Thanks, friends!

I’m having Coffee For Your Heart with my friend Holley Gerth

{click to tweet that you’re joining me here today}

{my graphics are free goodies for you}

The wrapping paper lays scattered across the coffee table. Cookie dough sits in the refrigerator waiting for its turn in the oven. Text messages and voicemails beckon “answer me” from your phone. The to-do has a few lonely items without a checkmark next to them. Sometimes it feels this time of year that it will never be done. 

So we rush through the holy. We stress out through the sacred. We worry that we won’t get it right. We fall into bed exhausted at night. We act like Christmas coming depends on us but Christmas is a Person and He already came.

He whispers to our weary hearts what He said on the cross: “It is finished” {John 19:30}.

In other words, all that really needs doing has already been done. We can relax, rest, enjoy…let the house get a little messy, the wrapping paper be a bit crooked, the cookies be scandalously eaten raw with the family and friends we’ve finally gotten back to on that phone.

Christmas is meant to be a gift not a burden. Receive it. Know that you’re loved. Know that it’s enough. Know there is grace for you that came on a tree without any twinkling lights. Know that it is finished. 

Then rest. And rejoice. Because Christ still has Christmas covered. 

Always has, always will. Whew.

XOXO

Holley Gerth

*****************

* This post is part of The Heart of Christmas series we’re going through as we prepare for Christmas. Each message is a short devotional you can read and share in the middle of this busy time of year to help you and those you love stay focused on what matters most—celebrating Jesus! To read all the #heartofchristmas posts, click here.

* Find Books to Encourage Every Woman on Your Christmas List {signed!}

{my graphics are free goodies for you}

They saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. {Matthew 2:11}

This is one of the most famous stories of Christmas. Wise men follow a star to find Jesus. When they arrive, they present Him with valuable gifts. But the true worth came from the love and faith with which they were given.

Some scholars believe that each of these gifts is symbolic. Gold is a gift usually presented to royalty and shows that the wise men acknowledged Christ as their true King. When the wise men gave incense, they recognized the deity of Christ because incense was used in offerings at the temple. Myrrh is a fragrant but bitter substance taken from a tree. This represents the humanness of Christ and the suffering He faced. When Christ was on the cross, He was offered a cup containing myrrh.

Like the wise men, we can offer Jesus what is valuable in our lives. We can also worship Him as our God, honor Him as our King, and thank Him for His suffering on our behalf. What’s a gift you want to give with love and faith to Jesus this Christmas?

XOXO

Holley Gerth

*****************

* This post is part of The Heart of Christmas series we’re going through as we prepare for Christmas. Each message is a short devotional you can read and share in the middle of this busy time of year to help you and those you love stay focused on what matters most—celebrating Jesus! To read all the #heartofchristmas posts, click here.

* Find Books to Encourage Every Woman on Your Christmas List {signed!}