
I’ve decided not to give in to the pressure. This pressure that I feel is a lie. A lie that says that if everything isn’t perfect I’m somehow not good enough. A lie that says that if I don’t give my kids the best ever ultimate gift, they’ll grow up feeling unloved. A lie that says that if someone doesn’t give me a gift that I want, they don’t love me or they would know what I really wanted. A lie that says…(go ahead, fill in your own lie).
I’ve struggled with these lies most of my adult life. Fortunately, my husband doesn’t struggle with these lies and he’s helped identify and reject them. Today I want to tell you that your worth is not based on what gifts you give or receive.
Last year, I mentioned that we spent 3 of the last 10 Christmases with Carl being unemployed and the 10 first Christmases with him being in school and living below the poverty level. I know what it feels like to not have the money to buy gifts for those that I love. It’s hard but I wouldn’t trade those years for anything because I learned so much about gratitude and giving.
One of the ways we bless others is by giving homemade gifts. Every year during the summer I make 60 half pints of dewberry jelly and wild grape jam to give as gifts in addition to what we need for our family. We give these as hostess gifts to those who invite us to their homes during the holidays. We also give them to all the workers where my children go for AWANA, the other pastors’ families at our church, our homeschool co-op teachers and dance teachers. It’s such a little thing but it blesses them.
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This post is shared at Barn Hop, Mostly Homemade Mondays, Backyard Farming Connection, Tasty Tuesdays, Raising Homemakers, Mountain Woman Rendezvous,Simple Lives Thursday, The HomeAcre Blog Hop, Home and Garden Thursday, From the Farm, Small Footprint Friday, Farm Girl Friday, Four Seasons Blog Hop, Family Fun Friday
Thank you for this series, it’s been a blessing to me. 🙂 How sweet of you to bless others with your jams and cookies and candy. I am so with you: don’t give in to the pressure, to the lie that the world tells us. ~Kathi
Homemade gifts are the best! I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
Kathy
Thanks for linking to Family Fun Friday. I love the emphasis on being a blessing in our communities.
Monica