Abide in Me: Maintaining A Calm Heart During the Holidays
Every winter, magic fills the air. For me, there is so much to look forward to. I find so much joy in the holiday season, whether that is celebrating with my family and friends or building a closer relationship with God. There is a warmth produced by the holiday spirit that replaces the cold, winter breeze.
Nevertheless, the days leading up to the celebrated holiday festivities can seem a lot like a snowstorm. As a student, the start of winter means the start of finals. Beyond scouting for and making creative and meaningful gifts, I am scrambling to absorb class material and study for exams. It’s enough to want to rip my hair out. Emotions running high, I am jam-packed with all sorts of responsibilities and expectations such as:
Decorate the Christmas tree
Order gift wrapping supplies
Create a budget for Christmas gifts
Purchase gifts and write thoughtful cards
Coordinate Secret Santa gift exchange
Collect addresses to send cards to mentors, advisors, coworkers, and employers
Study for Biology, Public Health, Economics, History, Research Methods, and International Studies
As a struggling college student, how do I survive this incredibly hectic season? By reminding myself my why.
I easily get so overwhelmed by the holiday cheer that I sometimes lose sight of why we celebrate the holidays in the first place. The stress causes me to go into a hyper-workaholic drive where I am fixated on making everything perfect. Knowing how easily overwhelmed I can get, an old friend of mine encouraged me to watch this video of “How to Practice the Presence of God” by Father Mike Schmitz. In this video, Father Mike reminds us that God is present in every stressful moment. Each time I watch this video, it is a firm reminder that everything I do can be done with and through Jesus. Jesus is my why.
“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” – John 15:4
Through trials and tribulations, we must fix our eyes on God and offer up these overwhelming feelings. God allows us to lean on Him for support. Having a conversation with Him always brings me great peace in my heart. Often, I feel restless with the growing task list, expectations, and responsibilities that pile on me as the holidays get closer. But a warm and calming feeling washes over me when I turn to Him.
To enhance my prayer life, I like to set aside 30 minutes every night in my hectic schedule to just pray, journal, and reflect. Just like catching up with an old friend, I vent to God about my struggles, celebrate my successes, and ask for advice about my failures. He comforts, supports, and loves me. I always leave a prayer session feeling fresh, renewed, and ready to face the challenges ahead. So, this holiday season, I encourage you to offer up any challenges, struggles, or overwhelming feelings to God. Let Him remind you of the joys. Allow Him to be present in your season of celebration. Grant Him the space to calm your heart. He is the reason that we can celebrate. For this, we must rejoice.
Meet Emily Ha
Emily is an adventurous 21 year old and creative spirit living in sunny San Diego, California! Her favorite things are thought-provoking conversations, quality time with friends and family, adoration, and dark chocolate (of course). She also loves to travel the world, experiment in the kitchen, play songs on her piano and guitar, and dive her nose into a really good book. God often speaks to her through art, music, literature, and nature. Currently, she is finishing up her two degrees in Public Health Policy and Business Economics with a minor in International Studies at UC Irvine. You can find Emily on Instagram @inner.eminence.