Seek Peace Of Mind Found In Jesus Christ This Holiday Season

The fall season is upon us, proven by crisp cool temperatures and beautiful changing colors of leaves. Change in coloring of leaves is the result of a chemical process, which takes place in the tree as seasons change.

Changes in our moods can also take place as seasons change. For many of us, the upcoming holidays are a wonderful time of the year, but for others, the holidays are something very different.

I recall the words of a popular Christmas theme song by Andy Williams: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year, with the kids jingle belling, and everyone telling you be of good cheer, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

This song from 1963, reflects Christmas season celebrations, focusing on get-togethers with friends and families.

Many people experience the holidays as “the most wonderful time of the year.”

For others, the holidays can be described by the 1968 Simon & Garfunkel song “America… I’m empty and aching and I don’t know why.”

“Empty and aching” feelings around the holidays can be referred to as “holiday depression” or “holiday anxiety.”

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States.

A few years ago, Amazon released information identifying these verses as the most frequently highlighted verses in the (Kindle) version of the Bible.

Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Considering Philippians 4:6-7 as the most frequent highlighted verses in the (Kindle) Bible, it’s clear, many of us experience feelings of “I’m empty and aching and don’t know why” around the holidays and just about any other time of the year.

C.S. Lewis sums it up this way, “Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and harder to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say my tooth is aching than to say my heart is broken.”

Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.”

The Apostle Paul touches our heart with the words, “Don’t be anxious about anything” and a “promise of God guarding our hearts minds” with an understanding of our challenges beyond anything we can imagine.

We find good news in Romans 7: 25, “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Jesus Christ can and does deliver us through this crazy, stressful, exciting and sometimes anxiety packed life. Jesus Christ understands our trials, anxiety and depression. He guards our hearts and gives us peace of mind.

If we are seeking “peace of mind” this holiday season, we must make the first move as stated in Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Peace of mind this holiday season or any other time of the year can be had with a relationship with Jesus Christ.

The fall season is upon us proven by crisp cool temperatures and beautiful changing colors of leaves.

Changes in our moods can also take place as seasons change.

If your holidays include unwelcomed guests, namely depression and anxiety, there is good news.

This season can be “the most wonderful time of the year” if we seek peace through Jesus Christ. He understands our problems and will guard our hearts and minds.

— Dennis R. Hixson of Fayetteville is a husband, father, teacher, business leader, author and mentor. Hixson teaches an adult Bible class at Prairie Grove Christian Church and Practical Biblical Application class at the Fayetteville Salvation Army, Drug and Alcohol Recovery Program. Send comments and questions to: inmylife4@gmail.com.