Lord, I prayed this issue again and again before, ...

[MisterB]

I am praying very hard for your intentions. Yours is a really sad case, but for many people the holidays are very, very stressful. I have a  stormy relationship with my family -- I am kind of like the family dog -- and I was estranged from them for quite a while. I am glad I got back with them. I wanted a family so badly and was so lonely not to have one. But I'll tell you what -- I actually was closer to God back then, any my holidays held more beauty and meaning. I would spend my Thanksgiving going to church, reading inspirational books, etc. I cooked the whole meal for myself and for my old boyfriend -- We lived together for years but CHASTELY. I did a beautiful job on the Thanksgiving meal. Now, I have not cooked in years since getting back with my family. I am just dwarfed by them so I don't even bother trying. And Advent -- I had a whole special table with Advent meditations, the candles, everything. I decorated my apartment to the gills. I lived on the third floor and had a balcony. I actually had lighted wreaths and a Christmas tree on a timer outside. Nobody in those kinds of buildings had that except for me. I put up signs that said, "Happy Birthday, Jesus."  And I went to sometimes two masses, one on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas. I would meditate all day on the mass and on the meaning of Christmas. I also set a plate for Jesus at my kitchen table on Christmas day. Oh -- And I had two manger scenes. At midnight on Christmas Eve, I would put the baby Jesus figurine in the stable crib and sing happy birthday to Jesus. It was all beautiful, meaningful and to the point of the holiday. Since I got back with my family, it is wonderful to have them to spend Christmas with. But there is tension and dysfunction in the family. There is pressure to act super happy. There is much less emphasis put on the true religious meaning of  the holiday. And I no longer cook at all. I just am peripheral, like I always was and always will be. So -- Maybe the thing to do is to get back to the real meaning of these holidays as much as possible. Brace yourself for what you know will be stressful times, but try to carve out YOUR OWN TIME with the Lord.  That is what I intend to do. God bless you and keep you. I pray you have wonderful holidays and that even if people disturb them, your heart will not be disturbed. I also pray that your mother will be richly blessed. I pray in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Amen and amen.

Hi Lamb.

So good to hear from you again. First off, thank you (and to everyone) for their prayers. It truly means a lot, really. May the Lord bless you all for doing so. Yes, I remember from this last year you had said you had some issues with family as well. Yes, it is very stressful. I thank the Lord that he has given me the faith and the strength to come to Him each time and to place all these things at His feet. Thank you for your advice and testimony that gave when you and Lord were together (as one) on the holidays (and everyday) when you were estranged from your family. Yes, the holidays are stressful, but what is more prevalent in my issue is peoples' ego, self-centeredness, negativity, sociopathy, and attention-seeking to glorify themselves. If this had happened years ago, these circumstances would have left me shaken and I would bailed out on them and the Lord. But, since I am stronger in the Lord and Spirit, I make sure to go right away to the Lord. Please continue to pray for us and for peace from the True Prince of Peace, our Lord Jesus.

 

[The Encourager]

Let’s Pray: God I ask in Jesus’ name, the name above all names, let Your perfect will be done! God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think (Eph. 3:20). This is a prayer for you, just click on the link: https://www.prayerrequest.com/blog/183/entry-10498-god-is-able/

 

[sharonjoan]

I prayed for this. In Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Abbyamy]

I prayed for this. In Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[hostadmin]

Thank you for giving us the privilege to pray on your behalf. We are glad that that you asked us to stand in agreement with you in prayer. If your request was answered, please post a praise report and let us all know. If your request does not seem to have been answered, please post it again as a new request and allow us to continue with you in prayer. We all hope that our prayers are answered in the way that we want. Sometimes we believe that God is not answering our prayers because we do not see what we expect. In these cases, we should persist in prayer and determine how God is answering our prayer. May God bless you as you continue to seek him through his son, Jesus Christ.