Welcome, Lovers of Wisdom. Christmas is Magnificent. Ready? Set. Go.
Are you prepared? You have prepared for the expected. Now it's time to talk about the unexpected. The unexpected is inevitable. We may not know what form it will come in but we know our plans will be derailed or diverted at some point. How we respond in those moments can make all the difference. Will you wrestle with reality and try to control the uncontrollable? Or will you accept and surrender to the moment? Today, I'm going to give you four words that will change those moments forever. Welcome back to Best Christmas Ever. We're exploring 28 ways to make this an amazing Christmas. Number 27 is acceptance and surrender. Expect the unexpected. And when it rears its sometimes ugly head, acceptance and surrender are your best friends. Accept your relatives as they are. They probably mean well and are doing the best they can with their current level of knowledge, awareness, and understanding. Try to have fun with the unexpected. Enjoy their eccentricities. Surrender to the moment. Don't try to control everything. Don't give it more meaning than it deserves. Much of what people do and say is caught up in the trivialities of life. So don't get all worked up. Accept where they are in their journey. Trust that God is inviting them to take one step closer to Him today and try not to be an obstacle to them taking that one step closer to God today. Accept, surrender, make this a judgment-free Christmas. How? I know. It's easy to talk about but in the moment, it can be incredibly difficult to do. Our families know exactly how to push all the buttons. There's a very simple reason for that. They installed them. That's why they know how to push them. That's why they know how to push them and when to push them and where to push them because they installed them. So they know exactly where they are. But here are the four words that will change everything. Trust, surrender, believe, receive. Trust that God has this moment in the palm of his hand and that there is no better place to be than in the palm of his hand. Surrender. Stop resisting what is unimportant and inevitable. Let it be. Believe that this moment is unfolding for some purpose unrevealed to you in this moment. And receive. Open yourself to receiving every blessing God wants to fill you with. Open yourself to peace, surrender, acceptance, and the joy of the moment. Trust, surrender, believe, receive. Trust, surrender, believe, receive. Say these words over and over again this Christmas, especially during the difficult moments created by difficult people. Trust, surrender, believe, receive you feeling inspired? That's great, but we're not done yet.
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 27 is ego. The capacity of our ego to ruin even the best things in life is unlimited. That's why we need to keep an eye on it. Like most things, you can't just throw it away because your ego does have a positive role and value in your journey. For example, your self-assurance provided by the ego is critical for us to press through difficult situations and accomplish what we feel called to accomplish. It provides a sense of self that is not dependent on external validation so that we can follow the star God has placed before us in life. But the ego can get out of control and cause lots of problems. This is particularly true when it gets into the comparisons game, comparing you to others and others to you. This can lead you to falsely think you are better than others or falsely believe that you are worse than others. In both situations, the infinite intrinsic dignity and value of every human person gets lost.
The ego can also lead us to value the wrong things, leading us into all manner of vanities. It can lead us to get caught up in selfishness and self-loathing and generally distract us from focusing on what matters most. It is impossible to have your best anything if you lose sight of what matters most. 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. Most people spend the Christmas season rushing around, stressed out and overwhelmed by the sheer speed and busyness of life. It's no wonder why they feel like their joy has been stolen away. Don't let that be your story.
Right now, when you become a dynamic Catholic ambassador, we will send you a free copy of my new book, Slowing Down to the Speed of Joy. Nothing will transform your Christmas and your life like learning how to slow down to the speed of joy. So click the button below and join today to get your copy.
Have a great day!
