Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act, making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday.        Psalm 37:4-6 HCSB

The holiday season can be one of mixed emotions. It can bring sadness and it can bring joy. It can bring chaos and it can bring peace. We must make a choice. We must make a conscious effort to focus on the positive during this holiday season. Our main focus should be on Jesus. From the manger to the grave, His life was all about us. He was born to save us, lived to set an example for us and died to set us free from the bondage of sin and death. If we want peace and joy, we need to make our lives all about Him.

Many of us suffer during the holidays with relatives who are sick or memories of lost loved ones. We may be suffering due to broken relationships. Maybe we have other issues going on like the loss of a job. Whatever is going on this holiday season, know that Jesus has got you. Know that He came to save you all those years ago and He can save you right now, today.

I talk a lot about trusting in Jesus. Many of you say that you trust in Jesus, but know that trusting in Him means giving it all over to Him. It means letting go of past hurts and trusting in Him for your future. Can you do that today?

Sometimes we hold on to the past like it’s some sort of security blanket. Are you doing that? Maybe we do it because even if the past holds hurtful memories, it’s what’s familiar to us. We get comfortable in what is familiar.

I lived many years being negative. I found the bad in others. I anticipated the worst case scenario in every situation. But after I gave my life to Christ, He wiped out a lot of the negativity in my life. He showed me that with Him all things are possible. He showed me how He was willing and able to work all things out for my good, if I would give my all to Him (Romans 8:28).

Some of you will read this and think that I am suggesting that you just stick your head in the sand and ignore all that is wrong around you. This is not at all what I am talking about. I am just suggesting that you focus on God and His goodness.

Whatever is wrong in our lives, we can bring it to God, give it over to Him and trust that He will do what is best for us with that situation. When we have sorrow and pain, He is there to walk us through it.

Just last week, I began to speak negatively about a situation that made me unhappy. I realized that I was speaking negativity into that situation. I realized that I was praying for God to fix it, but continuing to bemoan the fact that it was such a hopeless situation. What was I thinking? I had given it over to God. Nothing is impossible for God (Matthew 19:26).

My friend, with everything that goes on and everyone that we deal with, there is a positive aspect. We must choose in each and every situation what we will focus on. Will we focus on the negative aspect or will we accentuate whatever positive we can find? The choice is yours. I warn you, if you have turned something over to God speaking negatively about it is not the way to go. Think of it this way, your child has a problem too big to handle so you agree to take care of it You overhear your child telling their friends that there is no way this problem can be solved and it’s hopeless. If you were certain that you could work the problem out for them, how would it make you feel knowing that they had no faith in you? This is what we do when we claim that we turn something over to God but continue to speak negatively about that situation. Think about it.

Over the last week, I have begun to try to think more positively about every situation and if I can see nothing positive in it, I can at least be thankful that God is in control. I can say with certainty, “God’s got this!” I have also learned that doing this has lightened my mental and emotional load and brought much more peace and joy into my life. Amazing how that works, isn’t it?

Have a great day!