As we bid adieu to 2022, social media is about to be flooded with New Year’s resolutions, color-coded planners, and every type of 2023 calendar imaginable. You can organize your life hourly, daily, weekly, monthly…even minute by minute, if you really want to.

The days of December are nearly over.  Christmas 2022 will soon become but a lovely memory packed away with the annual decorations.  However, I am determined this year, above every year, to hold the lessons of Christmas deeply within my heart and as stirring guideposts for living.

The days of matchless … miraculous … and breathtaking wonder are upon us … the days of Christmas. The Savior of the world has come.

It is astonishing … nearly impossible … beyond belief … and inconceivable! This is the week that I will turn 68 years old?! Here are 68 lessons from my 68 years.

“Joy to the world—the Lord has come!” We sing these words every year, but what does it mean that the Creator came to his creation as a baby? How exactly does the “earth receive her King?” What does it sound like when rocks, hills, floods, and plains echo his praise? And what would it mean for you to join in the chorus?

From all of us at Carol McLeod Ministries – Happy Thanksgiving! As we count our blessings, we are thankful for you … our family and our friends.

What sweet memories I have of Thanksgiving days gone by!

The rich and precious treasure of the Thanksgivings of yesterday invariably will cause the tears to flow in abundance … my heart to swell with a quiet aching … and my gaze to lift Heavenward.

Lysa Terkhuerst is an amazing woman who has weathered storms, endured deep disappointment and knows personally the raw emotion of heartbreak. And yet, she has maintained a vibrant faith and continues to encourage others to love the Lord and to treasure His Word. She is my guest this week on both “The Significant Women” Podcast and here on my blog. She has written a new book, “Good Boundaries and Goodbyes”. I pray that you will love Jesus more after you read her blog and that you will indeed discover joy for your journey.

When was the last time that you truly took stock of your life?

Are your days quickly passing by in a meaningless blur of busyness … restless sleep patterns … planning for the next meal … paying bills that have skyrocketed?

Do you often feel that you are merely existing from one mundane task to the next?

When was the last time you thought about your life deeply?

“Someday, I’ll…” fill in the blank. We love someday, don’t we? In fact, we put a lot of things on our schedule for someday. And those someday items range from big to small, necessary to fanciful. I’m as guilty as anyone. Someday, I’ll organize that closet. Someday, I want to visit Hawaii. Someday, I want to pet an elephant. Someday, we’ll have dinner with friends we’ve been meaning to catch up with. And for those with small children, someday we’ll get to go to the bathroom in peace. Yes, someday is getting pretty full.

What if I told you that I knew of a way for you to have continuous joy in your soul … peace in your mind … and wisdom for every situation? Wouldn’t you want to know my secret?

The God of the universe has granted to us His wisdom … His heart … and His promises … in written format.

What do you do when you find yourself in the wait? We have all been there, haven’t we? … in the wait … Waiting for God to answer. Waiting for mountains to move. Waiting for provision. Waiting for healing. Waiting for breakthrough. Waiting for the storm to pass. Waiting for someone … anyone … to notice that you are in the wait.

A life worth living has a purpose worth living for. But at times life is hard and doesn’t feel worth living. If we’re just trying to survive, then it means we lack something crucial--a sense of purpose.

There is a “muchness” attached to an ordinary life that cannot be ignored nor should it be minimized.

This “muchness” raises its lovely head in all sorts of turbulent conditions … it sings triumphantly in the valley … and refuses to be lost in the maze of the mundane.

Muchness.