In my historical Victorian neighborhood, families might put up two, three, or even four Christmas trees during the holiday season. The first tree is usually the fanciest. This one tends to face the street. This is the Instagram-ready tree that’s draped with the loveliest or most impressive ornaments and a fancy foliage vibe that screams, “Look, we’ve got our act together this Christmas!”
Tree number two tends to be the family tree. This one has a homemade look that only the people living within the walls love. This is where the kids’ perfectly imperfect ornaments rest for a few weeks each year. In my opinion, this tree isn’t complete unless there’s a saltdough candy cane created by a second-grader or a Scotch-taped construction paper wreath with a snaggle-tooth photo of an elementary school kid. This is the tree that we smile at each night after the kids go to sleep or we linger by if our kids are grown up and out of our home.
Looking at our Christmas trees evokes all kinds of emotions. But do you realize that whether you put up four or none or one Christmas tree in your home, we all tend to pop up emotional Christmas trees in our hearts?
Our emotional Christmas trees are decorated with a mix of internal ornaments like memories, expectations, and anticipation. When we’re feeling upbeat and joyful, other bright and shiny bulbs like joy, gratitude, peace, and hope hang from the branches and light up our hearts. Since life isn’t perfect, the less-than-popular bulbs like past holiday hurts, resentment, unrealistic expectations, and holiday fears take up their space on the tree, too. Even if we don’t acknowledge our bah-humbug baubles, they are there.
Maybe, your emotional Christmas tree is filled with memories of past, happier Christmases, and this year, you feel like you’ve been robbed because life isn’t the same and you miss that old life. Perhaps, your heart tree is anxious because nothing has gone as planned, or it’s overwhelmed because you have way too many plans.
Today is an invitation for you to tend to your inner emotional Christmas tree and believe that God can light up your heart with hope. Will you give God that chance so that you can experience all His best blessings this holiday season? It’s so easy to let the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season camouflage or even cover up what’s happening inside of us. Can we agree that smiling on the outside, but suffering on the inside is no way to spend the holiday season?
Eight Christmas seasons ago, I didn’t have the strength to decorate any of the Christmas trees in my home because of a marriage separation, and my oldest child left for a year-long military assignment two weeks after Thanksgiving. My emotional Christmas tree was overloaded with sadness, grief, fear, and pain, and I almost gave up on celebrating Christmas. The a-ha moment came as John 1 reminded me that Jesus’s hope was bright enough to light up the dark pain in my heart, even if my circumstances didn’t change:
“The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.”
John 1:4-5 NLT
In my dark season, Jesus’s light provided the path that I needed to walk through that time in my life. His gift of peace (John 14:27) calmed my chaotic heart so that I could see the evidence of God’s constant care for me.
As a practical way of living this out, I decided to create a visual reminder. I bought a pack of large wooden cutout ornaments and wrote the words on the front that I desired to reflect in my heart with a matching verse on the back. Hanging these on a Christmas tree reminded me of the attitude and gratitude that I wanted to hang out in my heart.
Here are a few examples:
JOY – Always be joyful. (1 Thessalonians 5:16 NLT)
HOPE – I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. (Romans 15:13 NLT)
PEACE – Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (1 Peter 5:7 NLT)
GRATITUDE – Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. (1 Chronicles 16:34 NLT)
What if you took time this Christmas season to invite God to decorate your inner emotional Christmas tree with the good gifts that He gives? Whether you decorate ornaments with verses or put these verses in your phone as a reminder, the more you focus on the light that Jesus’ life brings, the more your heart will shine that light out in a world that needs Jesus’s hope now more than ever.
“bah humbug baubles” – what a wonderful phrase for my mouth to say out loud. love it!! 🙂
I thought that was fun, too 🙂
I really enjoy looking at children get excited about decorating Christmas Trees !
When I was a child, my Grandmother was not a fan of Christmas Trees because she read about pagans starting the tradition of Christmas Trees. It was very difficult for me to understand this type of thing because I just wanted to smile and have fun decorating a Christmas Tree.
My Aunt Laura on the other hand always decorated her Christmas Tree and it was beautiful ! Why the difference in beliefs from the same family, mother and daughter?
I have so much to learn and I am 64 years young. When I grow up, I want to Pray about everything and don’t worry about anything. I want to cast my cares over on Jesus because He cares for me (and He Keeps Caring For Me).
Here are my Christmas Tree Ornaments for My Inner Woman:
Gratitude
Strength
Kindness
Forgiveness
Wisdom
Health
Compassion
Discernment
Peace
Hope
Now Sometimes we are faced with:
misunderstanding
unmet and unvoiced expectations
fear and timidity
anxiety
oppression
the appearance of wrong doing
Unforgiveness
Hidden Sin
Past Hurts and Trauma
Resentment/Envy/Coveteousness
How hard it can be to get around these obstacles if you don’t surrender everything to God.
May God Continue To Teach Us To Trust Him And Obey His Commands.
Amen.
Brenda
Brenda, your optimism touched me, thank you!
Yes and amen to your prayer, Brenda! May we surrender everything to God and let Him teach us to trust Him this Christmas season. Thank you for sharing your story, your insights and your prayer for us. Merry Christmas!
Barb this was beautiful and very timely for me, thank you and blessings to you!
You’re welcome! We’re so glad that you stopped by and joined us at (in)courage today!
Thank you Barb. The timing of your words are perfect! I want to put up a tree but I don’t. Do I want a live tree of a fake tree? Where inside or outside? Do I put out all my nativity or just one? OMGOSH!!! Not once did I think of Jesus or all my amazing Christmas memories! Thank you. Thank you for reminding me to just stop and embrace the season. The memories. The birth of Jesus \0/
Sweet Janet, I’m glad that today’s devotional provided just the reminder that you needed. May you find the joy that can only be found in Jesus that Christmas season!
Loved this, “As a practical way of living this out, I decided to create a visual reminder. I bought a pack of large wooden cutout ornaments and wrote the words on the front that I desired to reflect in my heart with a matching verse on the back. Hanging these on a Christmas tree reminded me of the attitude and gratitude that I wanted to hang out in my heart.”
What a great idea. Something I am planning to make a tradition in my home this year & years to come.
I praise Adonai for you & your ministry.
So beautiful and encouraging! And a great idea for any season! Blessings for an inspiring and glorious Christmas!
This is one of the most beautiful articles I’ve read recently. Your words drew peaceful images in my mind and heart.
Thank you and God bless!
Past happier Christmases, anxiousness, and no desire to celebrate- things we’re not “supposed” to feel. And the weight of the camouflage is exhausting.
I had an unexpected emotional day and this devotional is so timely for me. Barb, thank you for all that you do to encourage us to let Christ’s light shine bright when our days are dark.
Barb,
One of my best Christmas memories was the first one my hubby & I shared together. Now almost 20 years later it isn’t the same. We don’t have family around & this year we will both be working. I insist on putting up my “Charlie Brown” tree. It is small but has lots of ornaments & pretty lights. That’s all I need to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
This time of year can be “bah hum bug” for me. The biggest reason is that most have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas. They simply think of buying & receiving gifts. People say Happy Holidays but not Merry Christmas. I believe in saying Merry Christmas because it is Christ’s birthday.
Blessings 🙂
Thank you for sharing this idea!
I’m not at home this Christmas and it’s the first Christmas where I don’t sit at an organ or direct a choir for the Christmas-Services – and I moved and my flat is not yet ready for a Christmastree – so I decided not to have one – but: it is so helpful to remind myself and every guest turning up in the New Year what hope and joy is there because of Jesus’ birth and coming – and my griefs and changes can get their symbols at my personal tree and God’s promises make them all to places of hope and expectation because God will turn everything to my best – and why not feel in advance the joy and gratitude because God will keep His promises!!! 🙂
– So, I’ll buy my Christmastree tonight and will spend a creative evening putting scriptures into pictures or a nice handlettered sheet or bowl and decorate my worries and shades and negativity in all its forms – and the tree will be there till lent …