By Kristin Bonham

 

 

The Beautiful Team meets once a month for connection, prayer and to talk about the ministry.  This group consists amazing women who lead women’s ministry at GFC at all our campuses… high capacity women who are wearing many hats. Each one is unique in personality and I always look forward to this meeting for the fellowship and opportunity to learn.

 

We usually start with everyone sharing what’s going on in their world personally and in ministry.  Last week, the common theme was the wrapping things up and taking time to rest and recharge over Christmas.

 

There was also a sense of urgency with January coming and wanting to make sure things were set up to hit the ground running. We all find ourselves in a ‘hurry up, get everything done, get answers, so we can rest’ mode!  Can you relate?

 

As we went around the table that day, some key things resonated with us and we all agreed that if we are feeling this way, many other women must be too.  How do we as women really rest?  How can we be fully present with our family and friends during this very special time of the year?  We came up with this collective list of ideas to be intentional.

 

• Journal – Take some time to journal about what the last 3 months have been. Or maybe even 2016 as a whole. Write about the highs and lows, the victories and sorrows.  Ask God to show you all that He has done and how He is working all things together.

 

• Time Out – Put your phone, computer, tablet, etc in time out! It’s hard for me to be fully present when my phone is buzzing or I’m checking emails and social media at any given time during the day.  If possible, leave your phone alone for a designated time during the day.  See what happens!  Two things that have helped me are changing my text notifications to “message from _________” rather than a preview of the message itself and changing my email settings so that “fetch new data” is off.  I still answer my texts and emails but this is a huge help for me to stay present as much as possible.

 

• Focus – On Jesus. He is our Savior. He is our Hope. He is the reason for celebrating. Here are some key Bible verses to help:

Luke 1:26-38

Luke 1:46-56

Luke 2:1-20

Isaiah 9:6

 

The fact is, January is coming whether we rest or not.  January is coming whether we slow down and enjoy family and friends this Christmas or not. January is coming with all its possibilities and opportunities!  Let's decide to slow down, focus on and enjoy the people in our lives during this Christmas season.

 

What are some intentional things you do to help you stay focused during Christmas?