Not So Picture Perfect

If it’s the most wonderful time of the year, then why is it so stressful? Ever asked yourself this question, or is it just me?

Maybe it’s the decorations, the search for the perfect gifts, the balance of enjoying and avoiding all the extra calories, or the balance of enjoying some family members while avoiding others. For me, nothing stresses me during the holidays like one little thing – holiday cards.

To be clear: I LOVE receiving Christmas cards. They make my heart happy. They remind me of my mother; the best and most considerate card-sender ever.

The problem is in the stress of sending Christmas cards. You know, finding all the addresses (no, they are not neatly organized in an Excel document or address book), addressing them, sealing them, etc, etc – and that is AFTER you’ve created the perfect card with the perfect words and the perfect pictures.

Well, there was nothing perfect about my holiday card(s) this year.

Cards? Yep, that’s right! This year the May Family Holiday envelope contained not one, but two cards – one for this year and one for last year. Busy with complications of Matt’s chemotherapy that prompted two hospital stays, January was half over before I knew it and my cards were half addressed and still sitting on the kitchen counter-top.

I put them all in a paper bag and resigned myself of the reality that I failed on holiday cards. And there they sat – until the holidays rolled around again and I had a decision to make. Did I suck it up and swallow my pride and send out both cards with a little explanation of my best of intentions? Or did I just send this year’s card like nothing had ever happened?

I’m not sure if my mom would be horrified or humored, but I opted to send them both. In doing so, Philippians 1: 3 kept coming to mind. “I thank God every time I remember you.” And so, I said a prayer for the family receiving that card and in the process, something happened. God took my anxiety and traded it for adoration; adoration for the people he puts in our lives and the joy we get to share with them.
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As I write this, I have no idea who will read it, but I am confident God knows. Is God calling you to pray for someone particular in your life today? Who has He “randomly” brought to your mind? Consider stopping and praying for them, and possibly trade your anxiety for adoration in the process.