Finding Wholeness and Peace During the Holidays

The holiday season can be a challenging time of year for many people. There are various struggles from feeling buried in the hustle and bustle...to coping with grief, loneliness, illness, family challenges or financial distress. How does one find wholeness, peace and perseverance during this season? The answer is where you place your focus.

When the focus for happiness and fulfillment is dependent on what is temporary such as man’s holiday traditions, materialistic items, relationships, personal image, occupations and so forth, there will inevitably be disappointment, heartache, grief, loneliness, obsession, worry or anxiety. But when the focus for happiness and fulfillment is on Jesus, then one will receive true fulfillment in joy, hope, and peace...and the whirlwind of emotions and distractions that often accompany the Holidays will come under control.

Jesus is the light of the world. In him, there is no darkness, no disappointment, no loneliness, no wanting or needing more. We read in Psalms 23:1-3,

"[1] The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. [2] He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, [3] he refreshes my soul."

God provides the source of our peace and joy. In him, we find wholeness because He is eternal and His promises are unstoppable. Apostle Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians 4:18 to "fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Everything we see around us will come and go. None of it can sustain us with true peace, wholeness or healing. None of it can give us fulfillment or purpose. But we can always rely on our eternal God. This is why Paul teaches us in Colossians 3:2 to "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."

When our minds are set on the things above and we place our trust in God, He will give us peace and wholeness as we read in Isaiah 26:3-4,

[3] You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. [4] Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.

During this season of Holidays, let us refocus our thoughts towards the goodness of God, refocus our time towards prayer and reading His Word, refocus our efforts towards growing spiritually, and refocus our mind on the eternal Rock, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. For only in Him can we find true fulfillment, peace and wholeness.
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