Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Dealing with the stress of the holidays



I have discovered that there is no deeper wound than the one that comes as a result of your greatest passion. I have mentioned many times in the past 20 years that the holiday season lends itself to the ‘perfect emotional storm.’ Putting these two together, especially for leaders, makes this time of year a time we can expect to feel the highest highs and lowest lows. So I want to share a couple ideas with you. 
General Ferdinand Foch, regarded as a World War I hero, sent the following dispatch to his superiors at a time when his army was in deep trouble: Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I attack.
Foch's words illustrate courage instead of fear, faith instead of capitulation, and resolve instead of paralysis. His counter-intuitive counter-attack successfully thwarted a strategic enemy advance. We can do the same.
The desire to be all God has called us to be while everyone around us is struggling with ‘too muchitis” (too much fun, too much spending, too much celebrating, and, too much recovery from celebrating) often lead us to one of two options. We could circle the wagons and pull in on ourselves or charge. Jesus chose both at different times.
He often went off by himself to pray which is a model we want to us even more than usual these next couple months. He also charged ahead with his mission, “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51).
Be resolute in your personal mission to help yourself and your family to understand the reason for this season and to also get out and 'be' the reason for this season. Ask God for His guidance and grace to heal your hurts no matter how deep they may go.

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