Welcome, Lovers of Wisdom. Christmas is Wonderous. Ready, Set, Go.
Where is your heart? When we sing the national anthem, we place our right hand on the left side of our chest to symbolically place our hand on our heart. But is that where our heart is located? No. Our heart is located in the center of our chest. This, of course, is all very literal, but knowing where your heart is located spiritually is today's topic. Welcome back to Best Christmas Ever, where we are exploring 28 ways to make this your best Christmas. Number 20 is locate your heart. Follow your desire and you will locate your heart. Next time you're reading the Bible, replace the word "heart" with desire and see what you learn about yourself. Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Trust in the Lord with all your desire." Do your desires reveal that you trust God? Proverbs 4:23, "Above all else, guard your heart, where everything you do flows from it. Above all else, guard your desire for everything you do flows from it. Are good things flowing from your desires?" Proverbs 23:26, "Give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways. Give me your desire and let your eyes delight in my ways." Are you willing to give God your desire? Do your desires delight in God's ways?
Psalm 51:10, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Create in me a pure desire, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." It is impossible to have a steadfast spirit unless we have control of our desires. Are you able to direct your desires? Psalm 26:2, "Lord, examine my heart. Lord, examine my desires." What would God find if He examined your desires? Mark 6:52, "They had not understood, for their hearts were hardened. They had not understood, for their desires were hardened." How would you describe your desires? And Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. For where your treasure is, there your desire will be also." Where is your desire? Follow your desire and you will locate your heart. Find your treasure and you will locate your heart. We live in a culture that suggests we should follow our desires unquestionably. The assumption is that every desire we have is good, and we all know from personal experience that that is simply not true. We live in a culture that suggests that happiness is simply a matter of getting what you want. Again, the assumption is that we always want what is good, right, just, and noble. And we all know that that is not true. Happiness is not a matter of getting what you want, but a matter of wanting the right things. If we desire the wrong things that, for whatever reason, are wrong for us, no amount of those things will bring us happiness. Desire is not something that just happens to us. We can master our desires. We can direct our desires. And with our desires, we can direct our hearts. And with our hearts, our lives. Christmas is a good time to check up on your heart. Do you know what you desire? Are you desiring things that are good for you? It's time to locate your heart. And if it has wandered off course, return it to the straight and narrow path of joy.
Wait, before you go, my dad has one more tip, and you're not going to want to miss this.
It's not easy to have a great Christmas in a world where everyone is striving for what isn't worth having. Welcome back to 28 obstacles that will prevent you from having your best Christmas ever. Obstacle number 20 is lack of boundaries. Healthy, emotional, and psychological boundaries are essential to having a great Christmas. Here is a simple test to see if your boundaries are about to be violated. Do you feel free to say no? If not, why not? If you're not free to say no, you're not free to say yes. One way people violate our boundaries all the time is by stealing our time. If people stole your money the way they steal your time, you would call the police. Guard your time this Christmas. Give it to the people and experiences that you feel called to give your time to. But remember, find your joy, guard your joy, follow your joy, not just happiness. It seems our culture has confused happiness with comfort. And following comfort will lead you to misery. Find your joy, cherish your joy, guard your joy, and follow your joy.
If you liked the video, you'll love my new book, Slowing Down to the Speed of Joy. The incessant speed of our lives isn't healthy. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it. The ever-increasing busyness of our lives is insane. Everyone knows it. It's time to eliminate urgent, busy, and hurry from our everyday lives. It's time to slow down to the speed of joy. It's time to take our lives back. Right now, when you become a Dynamic Catholic Ambassador, we will send you a free copy of Slowing Down to the Speed of Joy. Click the button to join and get your copy today.
Have a great day.
