Today I am excited to once again welcome our guest Melissa Norris. Here is a little bit about Melissa:

Melissa K. Norris writes inspirational historical romance novels. Her stories inspire people to draw closer to God and their pioneer roots. Her books and articles are inspired by her family’s small herd of beef cattle, her amateur barrel racing days, and her forays into quilting and canning—without always reading the directions first. She shares her faith journey and country living how-to posts at MelissaKNorris.

Melissa writes:

Christmas is a time of wants, from letters to Santa filled with materials wishes, or if not Santa, at least a wish list for Mom and Dad. Even adults are not exempt. We make lists for our spouses or at least a mental wish list. And all of these things filling these lists are items bought in a store or on-line.

Commercials are filled with enticing gifts and the stores are kind enough to mail you a large book filled with the latest and greatest toys for boys and girls, even grouped conveniently by price.

This year, have your children write a letter to Jesus. Ask them to think about things they’d like help with this year. For younger children, it might be a new friend, or courage on the playground, for older children, not to give in to peer pressure, or help with grades. But only give suggestions if they can’t come up with something on their own. You’ll be surprised at what your child will reveal to you given the time to think.

A good way to bring this up is to have them go through their toys and clothes closet. We always donate items this time of year that are in good shape, but no longer used. This opens the door to explaining that Jesus gives gifts that last. His gifts don’t get broken or out grown. And the best part of it is, Jesus give gifts all year long, not just on one day.

After the letters are written, you can either share them as a family out loud or not, but either way, pray over these letters. Keep them out all year and encourage your child to look at it weekly to see the areas Jesus answered on their list. If you decide to share your letters, then look up Bible verses that pertain to their wish list.

Write your own letter to Jesus. Take time to ponder over things you’d like him to gift you in this year. It might be as a parent, in your career, your marriage, lives of loved ones, whatever is weighing on your heart. Remind yourself and your child that if we don’t ask Jesus for big things, things we can’t do on our own, then we’ll never get to see Him at work in our lives.

As the year progresses and you and your child see Jesus answer to prayers, you’ll come up with new things to ask for. This is the perfect opportunity to start a prayer journal. When our prayers are written down, we can record the answers and visually see what our Lord Jesus has done for us.

When we ask for spiritual gifts, presents from Jesus, then the worldly treasures lose their shine. Start your letter to Jesus and you’ll receive the gift of contentment this Christmas season.

Blessings,

Melissa

Giveaway; Melissa is giving a copy of her ebook Pioneering Today away to one reader. To enter join the rafflecopter below