I can still picture it in my head. The pretty blue shades of the design, icicles hanging from the sleigh… it was the front of a Christmas card that my mama kept in a drawer. I once asked her why she kept it and her response? “It was just too pretty to throw away.” I realized years later that the inside of that card was blank. It was one of many that had been mailed out by Mom. I never asked her; but I think the few times I can remember her sending Christmas cards, it was very intentional. She knew the miracle in encouraging others is that you find yourself encouraged, too.
In the digital age we live in, Christmas cards are a beautiful, welcome change from an over-stimulating pace. Most of us love to receive a handwritten card or note in the mail. It shows someone went above and beyond. It means that a friend took an extra minute to be a purposeful encourager. Who doesn’t love receiving wonderful reminders of our Lord’s birth?
While we can easily recognize the beauty in receiving Christmas cards, stepping up to be the sender can seem daunting. We feel like there’s just not enough time. Or we don’t understand how sending Christmas cards celebrates Jesus’ birth. But sending cards does so much more than encourage the receiver. Incredible changes take place in the sender’s heart too!
Act of Prayer
Writing out Christmas cards provides the time to pray for those we love, and prayer always transforms hearts! Asking the Lord to bless each receiver while addressing and signing cards is a wonderful way to ease a busy mind into thinking of others and their needs.
Act of Service
The physical act of creatively engaging our hands to serve someone else provides both mental and emotional contentment. God created our hearts and hands to be used for his glory. When we take tangible steps to fulfill his work in our lives, we can experience holy satisfaction.
Act of Worship
When our minds form words and our fingers form letters, we can lift this work up to God in worship. Sending Christmas cards to encourage others and remember our Savior’s birth is a form of praise. We are celebrating that God loved the whole world so much that he gave his Son!
Experience JOY
Through the above-mentioned activities of praying, creating, and celebrating, our hearts will experience true joy! I remember an acronym for JOY that I learned as a child:
J-esus
O-thers
Y-ourself
What an incredible JOY that can be ours through the simple act of sending Christmas cards!
If you would enjoy sharing a sweet celebration of Christ’s birth, why not start with Christmas Cards to mail or give out this year? Go ahead and block out a time in your planner to prepare cards (and your heart) to be blessed in the process! You can contact your Consultant to shop from our beautiful selection of meaningful cards and then personalize the message to each person in your life. If you don’t know where to start, check out this article from our friends at DaySpring: What to Write in a Christmas Card.