Let’s be more like grandma…
Monday morning encouragement
It’s November 3rd, and you may already feel the stress, the hustle and the overwhelm of the Holidays approaching. Let me encourage you today with this:
Don’t fall for it friends, we have a choice.
Stay with me for a moment… We’re about to be in a season of hustle.
TRUTH: I already have both our Christmas trees up! Yup, November 1st is the start of “Merry Christmas” season in our family and we take that seriously! hahaha
But, what I want for myself and for you is to check ourselves a bit, and ask ourselves some questions.
What’s truly important? All of our choices in life boil down to where our hearts are, and in this season of “I want to do it all,” and “I see others having it all,” and our scrolling constantly telling us we can (and should) “have it all” it’s not a bad thing to take a moment to look at our lives through this lens.
Look, all the shinny, pretty, artsy, sparkly, yummy things we’ll see on social media or in the malls aren’t bad, in and of themselves. It’s just that they have the potential (and we know some of it was designed for this) to take our focus away from what’s really important. They also have the potential to make us feel stressed or overwhelmed, maybe cause us to want what we can’t have or envy those who do have. They could also take our focus away from family time or devotional time, or even make us depressed because our homes/clothes/art/etc. don’t look like what this world is saying looks best.
So, I read something the other day that resonated with me, and maybe it’ll resonate with you as well. It said this:
Let’s be more like our grandmas.
Remember back when we were little? Wasn’t it a simpler time? We had less stealing our focus away from real life. More time to enjoy simple pleasures. We were more present with our families at dinner, we focused on one thing at a time. We watched grandma bake a cake or plan the Christmas dinner without fretting over all the details. She got things done. She was the OG “boss lady”… am I right?
The generations before us didn’t take days looking through social media to make the perfect “Martha Stewart” meal, because there was no social media, or Martha Stewart. 😂 Grandma didn’t worry about what was the “it” thing that year, she got our her decorations she’d had for 20+ years and put them back right where they were the year before. There wasn’t a constant stream of content before her eyes to highjack her time… or her very life. She knew what was truly important in life, and it wasn’t all. the. THINGS.
I don’t want to make this super spiritual, but maybe there’s a reset that needs to take place?
In church we’re going through Micah and yesterday really had me thinking how this all ties together. You still with me? (I know my posts run long :)
You see, in Micah 6 God is asking the Israelites where their hearts are? Why are they getting lost in the world around them? Why are they being disobedient and disloyal? Why are they forgetting what God has done for them over and over again? Why are they choosing to follow the culture and settle for what everyone else is doing, instead of seeing how God just wants their hearts. He wants a relationship that’s real with them.
And He still wants that from us too.
Friends, we don’t have to fall for the overconsumption and overwhelm the world tries to sell us. We get to enjoy a real, genuine relationship with the God who created us, loves us and is SO faithful to us… even when we are not. That’s more precious than any sparkly, shiny Christmas gift under the tree or perfectly planned Christmas. That’s a peace, and rest, and hope that impacts our daily lives in such a transformative way!
So in the hustle and bustle of this season, let’s be like GRANDMA.
AND, let’s ask ourselves what’s truly important with these 2 questions:
Are we getting caught up in the what the world says we should be doing/having/buying at this time of year?
Are we being distracted from what’s truly important because of _______ .
(you fill in the blank)
Here’s where Micah 6:8 says God wants our hearts:
“Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you:
to act justly - (to live our lives as Christ would live towards others)
to love faithfulness - (to extend grace, be kind, and love truth)
and to walk humbly with your God.” (to live underneath the guidance of God)
Let’s find JOY in the goodness of a life lived in real relationship with God this season! Let’s take time to ready His Word. I’d encourage you to write down in a journal all that He is doing in your life so that you can share it with others.
And, let’s cultivate a simpler life that’s like grandma’s was.
I hope this encourages your heart today.
Have a GREAT Monday,
Laura McCollough