Notes from this week's podcast: Jo & Sydney: "How To" on Holiday Aim and Purpose

Before we get into he middle of the holidays, what is our purpose? What are we aiming to achieve?

Jo - Get that thankful heart establishing our steps (for Thanksgiving). At Christmas, we want to keep Christ in Christmas. How do you keep those goals the focus?

Sydney - When that heaviness creeps in, that's not from the Lord. It can suck the joy out. 

Give careful thought to what we're going to do -- our plans to be made. Take time to get alone with God, get alone with your calendar, your husband, your family and be thoughtful, before all the craziness starts. Know what your aim is; focus your eyes. What is our family aiming to do?

Give careful thought so that we can be steadfast and calm and experience the joy of the season. 

Jo - Sometimes that's the intent of the enemy -- whether it be flesh or satan and his kingdom -- is to get us all flustered and chaos. We want to remove the chaos before we get into the middling of the holidays. 

Let your eyes look straight ahead.

Sydney - Our aim, it matters. Keep our aim. We're going to miss the mark sometimes. Reaim to please God. Keep that the center of our family's purpose. It takes off the burden of all the other stuff trying to cram out the joy of especially the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. 

Jo - The next thing is to clearly establish "the why" for you and your family. (Why are we celebrating Thanksgiving? Why are we planning what we are planning for Christmas?) Knowing the why is so critical -- putting up the guardrails. We can walk through the holidays and truly miss what it's all about, but also miss what God has for our family. 

What He has for your family and my family may be different. 

Knowing why we celebrateThanksgiving: It's a time for us to stop and say Thank You, God. (We do that all year long.) But as a family, it's time to stop in your household, whatever that looks like, and truly fix your heart on being thankful. 

In our home, we truly think about what has God done through the year for our family that we had to stop as a family and say Thank You, God. And, it may not be what the world says was good. It may have been challenging but this where it has brought us spiritually or closer together as a family. Don't miss those things. 

* If you think that the good is truly good and favorable things, then we miss the hard times that are there for our good and we miss seeing the hand of God. And, we miss the opportunity for the family to rally around these times -- to grow stronger and go deeper in our faith and dependence in our relationship with God. 

We know that there are things around us that will try to snatch that joy. 

Sydney - Being over scheduled is such a snatcher. 

Get clarity from God on what your family needs this holiday season. (Maybe it's just time together.) Knowing that now, protecting that, and then from there, you have availability [for something that comes up]. Put the big things first. 

Jo - Give yourself permission that it's ok. You don't have to line up with everyone else's schedule. What does God want and then rest in that and learn to say no. 

Sydney - You have to know the season your family is in. 

Enjoy each other's gifts. You don't have to do it all. 

Jo - When it's all over, you're left with good memories. 

Sydney - Think about: Is this a meaningful way to spend my money? Think it through. Take time to budget. Plan now. 

Jo - Step one: Start in your own personal, private prayer closet. Take those scriptures with you to the prayer closet. And lay them out before the Lord. And let God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, begin to identify what that looks like (and write it down.) You will have few regrets.

Step two: What about your home? Take it to your family. Talk about your plans with your family before you start ti fill up the calendar. 

Sydney - It can be hard. You have to carve out that time together. 

Jo - Make sure it is together with those you love, those you want to pour into, experience it with. 

Sydney - Time together. Memories together. Details don't have to be just right. God will guide you. 

Jo - We want to be together centered around Father God. We want to make sure we are together with Him on the plans, on the purpose, on the activities. So that our hearts are one with Him. 

Caution: It's ok to say no. It's ok to guard your heart. 

Know the things to say yes to. There will be a total peace in your heart. Ask God: Is this a yes or no? He will show you. 

Sydney - The word "one." One way to serve. One area of your house to decorate. Pour your whole heart wherever God leads you. What brings your heart the joy of the season?  

Scriptures for further study: Psalm 106:1, John 1:14, Luke 2:11, Proverbs 4:25-26