Let those who want my vindication shout for joy and be glad; let them continually say,” The LORD be exalted. He takes pleasure in His servant’s well-being.” – Psalm 35:27 (HSCB)

This year hasn’t been exactly what any of us would have expected. That might mean that Christmas doesn’t feel exactly like a normal Christmas to you.

Perhaps your family has decided to not meet together for Christmas and it makes Christmas seem pretty lame.

In the middle of all of that, it’s easy to become sad and lose your joy.

Today’s Challenge: Practice Joy

That’s where today’s challenge comes in. Christmas might not feel or look normal to you, but it’s a good opportunity to practice joy.

You can’t control your circumstances or your family. However, you can control your response to those things. You get to choose whether you’re happy or sad. And your response can make Christmas fun or can make it really bad for everyone around you.

So challenge yourself this year to practice joy. Even in the middle of 2020. Even if you’re not excited about going to your aunt’s house. You can still choose joy and turn a bad situation into a better one, simply by changing your attitude.

Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. – 1 Chronicles 16:8

I can remember as a little kid how hard Christmas was. It seemed like my cousins always got better gifts than I did. It made me so mad and jealous. In fact, often I was so upset, I hardly enjoyed Christmas at all.

The truth was, I had lots of great presents, but because I wasn’t being thankful, all I noticed was what I was lacking.

Today’s Challenge: Practice Thankfulness

You might get a load of socks and underwear this year from grandma. Maybe your aunt forgot that you’re a teenager now and got you a really kiddy toy.

Today’s Bible verse challenges us to give thanks to the Lord. You can thank God for something where you are right now. Even in the middle of 2020. You can thank God even for the socks you got.

If you look hard, you can find something to be thankful for. So challenge yourself to do that this year. You might be able to get together in real life with your family. You might not get all the presents you wanted. Still, in the middle of all of that, choose to practice thankfulness.

As you are thankful, it will help change you. Instead of hating Christmas and being miserable, it will help you enjoy Christmas in the middle of all the chaos going on now in the world.

The world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller – Proverbs 11:24 b (MSG)

It’s so easy in the Christmas season to get so excited about presents. You probably made a list of all the stuff you wanted from your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.

And you’re getting really excited to see how much of those things you’re going to get.

Getting is certainly a fun part of Christmas, and there’s nothing wrong with receiving gifts from others. However, sometimes we let all the getting stuff consume us.

So this Christmas season, check your heart. Yes, it’s great to get things, but what about giving?

Is there someone you could give to? Maybe you don’t have tons of money, but could you give your mom a night off from doing the dishes? Give your brother the choice of what to watch on TV at night?

Today’s Challenge: Practice Giving

Ask God for help to find creative ways you can give to others this Christmas. Think of how you could go out of your way to make Christmas special for others too.

As you practice giving, it will help you be happier and more thankful for what you have. So decide to be a giver this Christmas.

Read: 3 Reasons to Practice Giving This Christmas

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. – John 14:27 (NLT)

Things in the world right now seem a little crazy. Most of us feel anything but peace this Christmas season. But that’s really why we need Jesus.

Because in the middle of chaos Jesus came into the world. Jesus brings peace to your situation. So regardless of what you’re facing, you can be at peace.

The peace you have isn’t because things aren’t tough or you’re not facing something difficult. Rather it’s just peace and rest in the middle of difficulty, knowing that God loves you and will always come through for you.

Today’s Truth: Jesus brings peace.

So today, if you’ve let your heart become troubled, remind yourself that Jesus came to bring peace. Walk in the peace He provided for you.

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. – John 1:4 (NIV)

Jesus came to the earth and did so many great things for us. It can hard sometimes to really take time to appreciate them. So today, we’re going to look at one of the things Jesus brought to us which is life.

Today’s Truth: Jesus brings life.

Jesus gave us life. And not just any old life, but He came to give us abundant life. A good life. Not a life free from problems, but a life full of hope and joy in Him.

When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! – Matthew 2:10 (NLT)

Can you remember when you were a little kid? The excitement of all those presents under your Christmas tree. I can recall scoping out the presents with my name on them and then trying to figure out what it was that was inside each one.

Just like when you were a little kid, Christmas is a time of joy. Even when Jesus was a child, He was bringing joy to others. The wisemen were joyful when they saw the star in the sky. They knew that it meant that the messiah was here.

Today’s Truth: Jesus brings joy.

Jesus came to the world to bring us joy. His joy keeps us going when things are tough. From his birth until now, Jesus continually brings us joy. When we know Jesus we have joy. Not because everything is perfect, but because we know Him.

Knowing Jesus is the greatest joy there is. So even if this has been a really hard year for you, know that Jesus came so that you can have joy in the middle of difficult times.

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned

Romans 5:11-12 (ESV)

This year Christmas probably feels weird. Maybe due to COVID, you won’t be getting together with your extended family for the first time in years. The thought of that is making you sad. You’re upset that you won’t see family and exchange gifts. It makes Christmas feel, not at all like Christmas.

It’s hard in times like these to stay encouraged. That’s where Jesus comes in. Jesus came to this dark world to bring hope. The message of Christmas is hope.

Today’s Truth: Jesus brings us hope.

Even in tough times like what we’ve experienced this year, Jesus came to bring hope. We have hope that we’re loved. Jesus shows us that we’re forgiven and made right with God.

Jesus brought us hope that we weren’t stuck in our sin, apart from God. We can rejoice and have hope in Jesus that we have been reconciled to God.

Even if Christmas doesn’t seem right this year, remember that you have hope. Jesus came to bring hope to our dark world. Today you can be encouraged that Jesus came to make you right with God!

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. – Psalm 91:1 (NLT)

When’s the last time you really got a good night of sleep? How did that feel? Did you love that you were able to wake up the next day and feel refreshed and ready to go?

That feeling is how God wants our lives to be in Him. He wants us to be rested. He doesn’t want the concerns and cares of this world keeping us up at night.

Today’s Truth: Rest, God Didn’t Leave Me Without Hope

It’s true, you might not have the answers or even know how your situation will be resolved, but God never leaves you without help or hope. God wants to be where you run when things get tough.

If you get to know God, you’ll realize that you can trust Him. He will be your shelter when things get hard. He will lead and guide you through difficulty. You don’t have to do anything but trust Him and rest in His prescence.

God always is looking out for you!

It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones. – Psalm 127:2 (NLT)

Do you sometimes have a hard time going to sleep at night? Maybe the stress of the day keeps you awake. Worry about that huge History test racks your brain with fear.

The truth is, God doesn’t want you troubled about tomorrow or fearful for today. God’s best for you is to be at rest.

So how do you do that? How do you rest when so many things are concerning in our world right now?

One of the best ways to rest is to realize that it’s not all on you. God doesn’t expect you to do it all in your own strength, worried about what you’re going to eat or how you’re going to handle something. Instead, He wants to provide you peace and rest. He wants to help you through the things that upset you.

Today’s Truth: I can Rest, my situation isn’t bigger than God.

God’s best for your life and His desire is that you live in a place of rest. You can rest knowing that God has provided you with everything you need. You rest knowing that the situations you face aren’t bigger than God.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. – Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

Right now, it’s easy to feel weary. 2020 has been a really hard year for most of us. So many strange things have happened, and with a worldwide pandemic, it’s been really hard to stay encouraged.

Do you feel burdened and weary from this year? If so, go to Jesus. Tell Him how you feel. Ask Him for help and encouragement.

Today’s Truth: Rest Jesus is There to Lift the Heavy Stuff

So many times we try to lift the heavy stuff of life on our own. We try to make it without God’s help or guidance. Jesus is saying come to Him. Let Him help carry those things that feel heavy in your life.

If you’ll let Jesus lift those heavy things in your life, you’ll really be able to enjoy the rest that’s found in Jesus. You can go through a pandemic with a smile on your face. Why? Because you are at rest. You know that no matter what happens, Jesus will help you through it and you’ll come out on the other side better than you were before.