Do You Need a Christmas Makeover?

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I love a good makeover!

  I'm a sucker for those surprise makeover shows where the person gets a new wardrobe, hair-do and makeup and basically discovers their true self on the inside through the process...love it.  Or, how about the home makeover shows where the surprised homeowner gets a new room, adds some curb appeal to the front yard, or gets an entirely new home?
  I love those too.


At Christmas one of my favorite things to do is to decorate and makeover my home to dress it up for the holidays.   I pull out all the pretty things that I haven't seen in a year, buy the tree, string the lights and glam up the place with glittery ornaments and such.


Plus, there are also so many other good things to put on your holiday list of things to do during this season...advent calendars, jesse trees, baking and delivering cookies, holiday parties, buying gifts and wrapping, Christmas plays and sing-alongs...the list can go on and on.
All fun, all good, all stuff that you like to do.


 But what if you're not feeling so good on the inside?


Here's how to tell if you need a Christmas Makeover:


1.  Do you feel like giving up?


2.  Do you feel like running out the door right now and leaving those screaming kids, mounting bills, piled up laundry, dirty dishes, tornado-strewn house and not looking back?


4.  Or maybe you want to hole up in your house never to go out again?
  
3.  Has your attitude soured about doing things for other people and now you find yourself thinking, and maybe even saying out loud, 
What about me?


4.  Do you wear a fake smile on your face to mask the pain you feel on the inside?


5.  Are you spending a lot of time away from friends because you just don't feel like dealing?


6.  Does the nagging voice inside your head feel as though it never stops?


I could go on, but I'll stop here to say that I don't know what you're dealing with, but it can get better.
I've been there.  Every one of those things I've either said or felt, especially over this past year of financial challenges and juggling a lot of responsibility.
  Those warning signs always alert me to needing a break.

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This is the season to focus on the coming of Christ.  It's not just the birth of a baby we celebrate, but the coming of the Savior.  The One who came to take away the pain and punishment of our sin, mistakes and hurts in exchange for new life and hope.

So before you get into all the fun and activity that this holiday season has to offer, give yourself a little makeover.  

Grab a little quiet time and invite the Savior, Jesus, to spend some time with you.  It's easy, just tell Him how you're feeling, what's on your mind and give Him your problems.

  He can handle them.

Receive His love and ask Him for His peace.

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Then, having safely given Him your concerns, do something nice for yourself.  Ignore the to-do list for a bit and read a book, take a bath with some quiet music playing, curl up to watch a fun holiday movie with a yummy snack and some hot tea, create something beautiful, or just simply get some sleep.
Whatever.

      

The point is, take the time to be good to yourself.
  If you do, you'll feel so much better and you'll also be able to be good to the people around you, which is so important.


When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he replied,


“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.
 And the second is like it:
 ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matthew 22:36-39


So, you see if you don't love yourself, how can you love anyone else?


Before the holiday season gets into full swing, take a little time for a Christmas makeover and start out the season by being good to yourself.


What about this weekend?
What can you do to be good to yourself?