Healthy Happy Holidays: Focus on the Main Things

Aww, the holidays are upon us again! This year, things may be a little different than in the past. However, we are going to be somewhat out of our normal routines with family get-togethers, dinners, and the like. The holiday season should be festive and joyful, full of peace and love. Right? Yes! They should be. With all the shopping, planning, traveling, wrapping, cooking and extra eating, it can be stressful and take a toll on us physically and mentally. The holidays can be hard on us at times and they don’t have to be! For the next few weeks, I will be sharing simple thoughts and ideas to help us stay focused and on track with our health and wellness; both physically and emotionally. I want to share tips to help you truly enjoy your holiday season, all while helping you stay on track with your health and fitness goals, without guilt! I want to encourage you as we focus on what is important! We will be talking about real, practical ways of staying healthy throughout the next few weeks. With a little planning and proper mindset, we can relax and truly enjoy this special time of year!

To start things off, I want to get to the heart of the matter. I want us to take a deep breath and focus. Let’s focus on what is truly important this Thanksgiving and Christmas season. To illustrate, I want to take a look at the story in the Bible of Mary and her sister Martha. Now, you probably know this story, but hear it afresh. In Luke 10:38-42 we read about when Jesus went to the home of Martha. Her sister, Mary was also there. Martha was very busy, hustling around serving everyone. I know you probably know the feeling, especially during the holidays! The Bible says she was distracted with much serving. She saw that her sister Mary was not helping her, but was sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to him teach. Martha even went to Jesus and complained that Mary wasn’t helping and asked him to tell her to get up and start helping her! But to Martha’s surprise, Jesus said to her. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Oh Boy! I can certainly relate to Martha! Maybe you can too.

Like Martha, who, I am quite sure, had good intentions with all the attention to detail to make her gathering perfect, unfortunately got distracted with all of it. She forgot the main thing! Jesus had come to her house! She was missing out on the whole purpose of her get-together! She wasn’t living in the moment. So today, as you read this, I want you to sit back and take a deep breath. Focus on the main thing! Why are we celebrating Thanksgiving? Why are we celebrating Christmas? Sure, we have to make preparations and plan, but let us first and foremost, stop and consider the main thing. Go into this season with a heart of intentional gratitude and an open heart. Ask the Lord to guide you to a place each day to sit at his feet and listen to him and learn from him. Ask him for direction in focusing on the important things. Be very intentional about not getting distracted with all the hustle and bustle of this time of year. We can set too high of standards and expectations for the holidays to be perfect. Do not miss the main thing! Loving and setting your heart and mind on Christ is the foundation for a healthy and happy holiday. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “ And you will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.” Are you searching for Christ with your whole heart? If my focus is on Christ, I will be less focused on things that are really nothing more than busy work. Seek Him! Get and stay focused on Him! Then, we can be ready to prioritize the things that truly matter this year. Sometimes we look at the lives of other people on social media and we feel their lives look perfect and so put together. I have news for you…they aren’t! Keep things simple. What are the things that you can do this year, that your loved ones will truly cherish? Most importantly, they will cherish your time and your presence more than your presents. Make a mental or actual list of the main things you want to do with your family or friends this year, and stick to those. It may not look like holidays in the past. Kids grow up, and traditions change. That is Okay! Focus on the heart of the matter; Love for the Lord and love for each other! I think that is a great place to start in enjoying a healthy, happy holiday season!