Christmas is fun, isn’t it? I’ve been enjoying so many of the things that kick off the season, and excited to have my gift-list almost all checked off. It can also be a really tough time for so many people. Honestly, even a trip to Costco on a Saturday can require a lot of brave from us. (Or crazy, you pick.)

We muster up the courage to host Christmas dinner. Or go to a Christmas dinner. Or the mall.

This week, a group of ladies invited me to share about how we can make courageous choices at Christmas.  What I realized, was that from the first Christmas onward, this season of preparation, looking ahead to the promised One, has been about being brave. Making courageous choices. And making small choices to be brave can make the season more meaningful.

In the Bible, the book of Luke records how the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, telling her a message straight from God about how she would become the mother of Jesus. It’s worth reading, even if it is familiar to you. If nothing else, this story is about courage. The angel, appearing to Mary; Mary being confused and disturbed, so that Gabriel had to tell her to not be afraid. Mary’s questions, wondering how this could happen to her. Mary’s response of courageous faith – trusting that the God who said He would do it, would follow through and make it possible.

And, if you’re not feeling particularly brave this Christmas, or more accurately – scared spitless about facing this season – you can take heart, knowing that Mary was created in God’s image, just as we were. Just as you were. And, as Gabriel told Mary, nothing is impossible with God.

So, you can make courageous choices, friend. Yours may not look particularly huge to you. Not angel-appearing-with-a-world-changing-announcement huge, at least. They might be changes that only change the trajectory of your path by one degree. Christmas tells us that God loves small beginnings – Jesus came as a baby, friend. Your baby step is precious to Him.

What choices can we make?

Courageous Choice #1: Choose to Open Doors

If I had not chosen to open my door to my neighbour when I first moved to our home nine years ago, I would have missed out in a huge way. I was a bit shocked, when a lady I didn’t know stood at my front door, asking for a tour of my home, to be honest. I had never had this request from a stranger before. But, I let her in. And over the years, that audacious neighbour has become a dear friend, and my daughter’s best friend. I can’t imagine my life if I hadn’t opened that door. Can you imagine if Mary hadn’t allowed that Angel in because of her fear?

We need to be women who choose to open our doors, wisely, prayerfully, courageously. In these moments of decision making, we could be, unknowingly, opening our door to the next good thing God has for us.

Your Turn:

Who do you need to open your door to? Who have you been afraid to open your door to?

Saying no to the wrong things, allows us to say yes to the best things. Who do you need to close your door to?

Courageous Choice #2: Choose Who to Listen To

We all have voices speaking into our lives. Some of them are really good, and some are not so good. Some speak truth, some speak lies that we all too readily believe. Some of those not so good voices are our own too, honestly.

Every day we have the choice to decide who will win the battle of words in our own minds and hearts. At Christmas, especially, there are a lot of voices telling us that we’re not enough. Or that buying one more present, or preparing one more dish will make us good enough, or give us the perfect Christmas. Oh, how we set ourselves up, don’t we?

This Christmas, I’m reading the book of Luke, because those words, the Word, are the ones that are the best. They’re reminding me, chapter by chapter (because, handily enough, there are 25 of them to read leading up to Christmas day), why we actually celebrate Christmas. It’s time to let that voice of truth in, so that there is no room for the lying voices telling us we’re not enough.

And, around our holiday parties, we have to decide who we will listen to. There are some people that we just need to stop listening to. And some that we need to start listening to, because they’re speaking the words we need to hear. Mary paid attention to Gabriel – not just because she was visited by a real-live angel, but because the Bible shows us that she was a listener. In the next verses we learn that she was also an obeyer of good words, rushing off to visit Elizabeth, and responding to Elizabeth’s words. To me, having a Mary heart in a Christmas-crazy world means that I can take time and make time to listen to the words that matter most, and I don’t want to miss them.

Your turn:

Whose voice do you need to let in this Christmas? It might be a person or it might be the Word.

Whose voice do you need to shut out? What do you need to stop listening to?

Want more? Watch for Courageous Choices #3 & #4 coming soon!

If you liked this, read On Finding Real Courage.