153: RE-RELEASE – Cultivating a Spirit-Led Holiday Season with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Episode 12)

 

On today’s solo podcast episode, I am taking to the show to share about the importance of cultivating a truly Spirit-led holiday season and how we can go about doing so. My prayer is that you would walk away from today’s talk feeling inspired and equipped to really live out the fruits of the Spirit this holiday season!

What I Chat about in Today’s Episode:

~The importance of walking by the Spirit during the holiday season, and listening to the Lord rather than man

~Three steps for walking by the Spirit this Christmas:

*Pray

*Be in the Word

*Pray some more!

~Creative and yet practical tips and ideas for how to prioritize those things which make Christmas special for your own unique family, while at the same time saying “no” to the hurry and stress; really soaking up the beauty of this season

~The crucial importance of showing your friends and family Christ-like love this Christmas – whether you see eye-to-eye with them or not: 7 tips for how to do so:

*1. Assume the Biblical Position (and, no, I don’t mean the republican or pro-life position; I mean James 1:19-20).

*2. Assume the best about the other person.

*3. Speak with love.

*4. Focus on what does unify you.

*5. Understand what the holiday is and is not for.

*6. Understand that it is humility, love, and kindness that changes hearts and inspires repentance – not your beating someone over the head with truth.

*7. Seek to understand where the other person is coming from, and be teachable.

~How to take your eyes of Pinterest (if it’s not serving you well!) and plan for a truly lovely holiday season

~And more!

Resources Mentioned

Offer for a free audiobook and 30 day trial membership from Audible: www.audibletrial.com/HomeandHearth

Previous Solo Podcast Episodes

QUOTES TO REMEMBER:

“We have another option. We do not have to fall prey any longer to the breakneck speed of how the culture does the holiday season. We have the freedom and ability to take action, to be intentional, and to craft the kind of festive season that we have always dreamed of for ourselves and our families.”

“We all want to make the holidays special and memorable for our families. The problem comes when we race ahead with things we assume will constitute as special and imagine ourselves to have to plan a holiday to-do list a mile long, when instead all we have to do to make the most of the holiday season before us is simply ask our families what they would enjoy. It’ll save you so much stress if you do this, and will truly make the holidays meaningful.”

“This year, rather than thinking we have to decorate, bake, or practice hospitality in the exact same way our best friend, mom, sister, or favorite blogger is doing so, let us instead look to the Lord, seek His wisdom, and ponder how He created our particular family to be. Let’s instead plan for the holidays with our own family in mind (and with them included in the planning!) – not another person’s family.”

“I know it is a bit cliche these days to say this, but it’s true – we need to remember the reason for the season. That reason is not to be Pinterest-perfect. It is not to impress our neighbors. It is not to “do all the things”. It is to keep our eyes fixed on Christ. It is to commemorate and remember the incarnation of Christ and its implications. It is to love on our families and the folks around us and, in so doing, point them to Christ.”

“How are we to combat this excessive stress and put an end to it once and for all? Can we even do that? Is that a realistic option for us?  Yes, I believe it is. But there is only one sure-fire way to make it happen, and that is: By listening to the Lord rather than man.”

“Rather than scouring Pinterest for the ‘best’, most festive Christmas ideas, seeking the advice of Google’s greatest ‘experts’ on how to have a restful, peaceful season, or attempting to meet all the expectations placed upon you by others, there is one answer to the restlessness faced by many of us this season: walk by the Spirit by communing with the Lord in prayer and listening for His answer.”

“If you want to be a breath of fresh air this holiday season, if you want to truly walk by the Spirit when dealing with extended family members with whom you disagree, you are going to have to be slow to speak, quick to listen, and slow to become angry.”

“I have heard people say that the most loving thing you can do is speak truth. I understand what they mean by that, but it is not enough to simply speak the truth. That proclamation of truth must also still be issued in a clearly loving, humble way. If the person you are sharing truth with does not tangibly feel your love, you’re sharing it in the wrong way.  Snark and sarcasm are not fruits of the Spirit.”

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND REBEKAH ONLINE:

Websites – Hargraves Home and Hearth

Instagram –@rebekahhargraves

Facebook – Hargraves Home and Hearth

Twitter – @hhomeandhearth

Podcast – Home and Hearth Podcast

 

To Leave a Rating and Review on iTunes

Have you been encouraged or inspired by today’s episode? If so, could I ask a little favor? If you could leave the podcast a rating and review in iTunes, that would be amazing! The more ratings and reviews a podcast receives, the more iTunes shows that podcast to other folks searching for shows to listen to, so by leaving me a rating and review, you truly are partnering with me in this podcast ministry to encourage and help as many women as we possibly can. Thank you so much for taking the time to do that! Here’s how:

If you’re on your computer:

• Access iTunes on your desktop and type Home and Hearth in the search box on the upper right hand corner.
• Click on the podcast photo when it comes up
• Click on “Ratings and Reviews” beneath the podcast title
• Under “Customer Reviews”, click on “Write a Review”
• Click on how many stars you want to rate the podcast and then write out your review and click submit
• You’re done! Thank you so much!!

If you’re on your phone:

• Open the podcasts app
• Click the search button on the bottom righthand corner (the magnifying glass) and type in Home and Hearth in the search box that will appear at the top of your screen
• Click on the podcast photo when it pops up
• Click on the reviews button near the top middle of the screen
• Scroll down a bit, if needed, until you see “Write a Review” and click on that
• Click on how many starts your want to rate the podcast, write out your review, and click “send” when finished
• You’re done! Thank you so much!!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:23 — 38.9MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Email | RSS