It’s that time of the year. Do you feel the pressure building, yet? If, so let’s take a deep breath before we dive into the holidays and plan instead of panic. Yes, we can plan our Thanksgiving meal and write out our Christmas list. We can check our calendars to make sure we are not going to miss an event that we want to attend, but that is not the only planning we want to do.

Let’s plan for ways to keep God in our Holidays. One of the ways I plan anything is to make lists. We don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving Day to make our gratitude list. Try to think of some new things for this year’s list, maybe things that have happened just this year. Did you worry about things this year that didn’t come to pass? We need to be grateful for those things too.

As we move to think about Christmas, let’s try to give gifts with meaning that would honor the Lord. Maybe, give a gift to someone new this year such as a lonely shut-in or a neighbor that has no family in town. The best gift may be a visit or giving of your time to take them to run an errand. Meet a need this year as a gift.

Don’t forget about the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. That is a good time to reflect on the past year and set goals for the new one. We set goals for our work and our homes, but we can also set goals for our spiritual lives. Maybe there are one or two subjects that you want to focus your Bible study on next year. This week is a good time to spend in prayer to get a word for next year. If you ask God will lead you.

Let’s be intentional and present this season in our lives in the lives of others. If we are not intentional, we will get past the holidays and realize that we were consumed by the businesses of all and missed the real purpose of the season.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) (NIV)