iShineInMinistry

Psalm 5:11

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;

Let them ever shout for joy…

Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You.

This week completely filled me with joy and anticipation as I listened to Christmas music, decorated my apartment, did a little shopping and attended Christmas festivities. Of course everything culminated with Christmas day, which was also my first Christmas in New York. The lights in the city were beautiful and I enjoyed afternoon tea at a nice hotel by Central Park. Then I watched Christmas movies for the duration of the evening. Now Christmas is over and I still want to watch movies, listen to the music of the season and not let go of all the wonderful things that make Christmas feel enchanted. The one thing that does remain after the Christmas tree comes down and the presents have all been unwrapped is the fact that Jesus is still with us and will always be with us!

We do not have to limit our excitement about Christmas to December. We should celebrate the blessing that is our Lord and Savior every single day of the year. We should sing praises, bless others, have abundant joy flowing out of us and live each and every day as if it is December 25th! How much more exciting would our lives be if this was our mindset every moment? How much more fruitful would our ministries be if we truly lived every day like it was Christmas Day? What if we were always filled with joy, anticipating amazing things from the Lord and always had the desire to bless those we come in contact with? How joyful and amazing our lives would be.

Maybe you don’t need to keep the lights up, listen to Christmas music or buy more gifts; nevertheless, you can still have that unexplainable joy that comes with this time of year. I hope we can all keep the light shining in everything we do even though December 25th has come and gone. Let us ask God to keep refilling us with His Spirit, gladness and delight even when it is no longer the most wonderful time of year!

Are you having post-Christmas blues now that December 25th is over? Keep the joy of the season all year long and ask God to show you how to bless those around you after Christmas is over.