Christmas Heart

Christmastime is all about the heart. What you feel in the heart. What you let your heart lead you to do. What you let fill up your heart, etc.
Contrary to popular belief, I don't think Christmas has to be ALL about giving to others. I know what you're thinking..."wow, did she really just say that?"
Yep, I did.
The reason I say that is because I feel as though we should ALWAYS be giving to others. Don't just save it for Christmastime! If we would all give all year long, there maybe wouldn't be such a "need" during this time of year! And, if we all would find ways to give all year long, we wouldn't feel the "guilt to give" during this time of year.
People love to proclaim to everyone who will listen what they're doing to "help" others during Christmas. If you're letting the world know everything you are doing to help out others during Christmas, your heart is probably not in the right place to begin with and more than likely, you're not doing it for all of the right reasons.

We love to get our kids lots of goodies for Christmas! I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Now, if we never gave to the church, never helped anyone out, never gave money to help the orphans, or a single mom, or the homeless, etc., and we STILL showered only our kids with gifts at Christmas, I can see the problem. But, I don't think there is anything wrong with allowing your kiddos to have a good Christmas.
I know everyone's convictions are different. Some people desire for the praise of others. Some truly want recognition. I am not here to judge. I am only here to say that only God knows our hearts.
That's what having a "Christmas Heart" means to me. It means that I can do things that maybe nobody else knows about, but all that matters to me is that God smiles. I can do something for someone that my own husband doesn't even know about, but I don't need the praise from him. I simply do it because God leads my heart to do it and we are only called to be obedient.
So, for what it's worth, have a Christmas Heart this year. A heart that's not so focused on how much you're "supposed" to spend on someone, or how to make everything "even" between the kids/grandkids/parents, etc. Just do what your heart leads you to do! Give because you WANT to give. Not because you're "supposed to"! Let your heart be blessed!!!!!