Heather's Healthy Holiday Habits....

Can you believe that one week from today is Christmas Eve? Wow! Where has time gone? It has been a great month, hasn't it? I am sorry, my faithful blogging friends, that I have not been faithful in writing to all of you the last two days. I am back, though, ready to help you re-focus this season, so it is the best EVER! Over the next week, I am going to give you some of the BEST healthy habits that I know of! If the season has not been very festive so far, it can be!

Are you redy for Heather's Healthy Holiday Habits?

1. Choose to forgive this Christmas and, in turn, Be forgiven....

Okay, I know this is a VERY hard one, and I chose to give you the hardest one first, because it may take some time to work through.

Every single day there are people we need to forgive: My husband who forgot to do the one thing I've asked of him, the person who cut me off in the road, the co-worker who snubbed me at work, or maybe I need to forgive God for some things He is responsible for....the list can go on and on.....Everyday things happen which need forgiveness.

So often I focus on the things that other people do and do not look at myself and the realization that I need forgiveness more desperately than anyone else. This is the reason we celebrate Christmas: Christ came to earth as a baby (fully human, yet fully God...wow!) so that we would be reconciled to Him. See, we were destined to live eternity separated from God because, once sin entered the world, we were stained, unholy. God had a plan to restore us to His original plan for us: He would send His son, Jesus, who would die on the cross, take all of our sins on Himself, and rise again! This was a way that we would find restoration and forgiveness, able to spend eternity with a Holy God! Now, that's way cool! That is reason to forgive. When we realize what we have been forgiven, we want to forgive others.

Why should I forgive?

Mark 11:25 says, "When you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too!" If we are choosing not to forgive, we are allowing sin back into our lives, and God can't forgive us. If we are actively trying to forgive, God will forgive us. Actively forgiving? It means a DAILY surrendering of your bitterness and unforgiveness to the Lord.

Why can't I forgive & forget?

When it comes to our minds, forgiveness isn't once and for all. I don't know about you, but I have a GREAT memory, especially when it comes to remembering the ways in which I have been wronged. Even if I have chosen to forgive someone, inevitably something will happen and the feelings of unforgiveness will become so real....I have to forgive all over again. But, I HAVE to choose to forgive again, unless I want distance from God.

God Forgives and Forgets! Woo hoo!

Isn't it great, that no matter what we've done, God chooses to forgive and forget. He never reminds us of our past, or looks down on us because of past choices, He only loves us and is elated that we've chosen to accept His forgiveness.

What if I don't want to forgive?

We cannot forgive, or even WANT to forgive without God's help. Pray that He would give you the desire to forgive the person who's wronged you & the ability to forgive....again and again.

Jesus, thank you for saving me from....(You finish the statement)

Please, Lord, help me reconcile with....

Fore more resources on forgiveness, click here

Or, e-mail me at: hdoyle@glenwoodchristian.org

And, remember, a forgiving person is a much healthier person, too. Recently, there have been studies showing unforgiveness= high blood pressure, cortisol reactivity, and many other stress-related health problems!