Make Room for Joy

Before the holiday calendar fills with celebrations, preparations, and one more wonderful idea, remember this: you get to enjoy this season, too. As you create meaningful moments for others, there is joy waiting for you in those moments, too.

You bring warmth, creativity, and care to the places you serve. Children feel welcome because you know their names. Volunteers grow because you notice their gifts. Families feel connected because you take time to listen. Those moments matter long after the decorations come down.

Make Room to Breathe

With so much time invested in this season, it’s easy to keep thinking of one more thing that would make it special. There is already so much love in what you’ve prepared, and you can share the remaining work with the people serving alongside you. You are loved before you lead, and that love gives you room to relax your shoulders and enjoy being there. The celebration you’ve helped prepare has room for you in it.

Make Room for your Family

Between preparations, practices, and dress rehearsals, remember the people who share your life. Your family deserves time with the person they love. Some of the season’s sweetest moments will happen around your own table, in the car, or during a familiar movie everyone can practically quote.

In the middle of all the planning, make room for the joy of simply being with your family. It’s easy to become so focused on preparing the next meaningful moment that you hurry past one happening right beside you. Those everyday moments together are worth enjoying, even while other things remain unfinished.

Make Room for what Matters

As we gather around Thanksgiving tables and begin preparing for Christmas, may the love we celebrate become a source of joy for us, too. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us because God delighted in making His home with the people He loved. In Bethlehem, the manger whispered that love in a way we could see and hold. As you help children discover its wonder, remember that you are held by that same love.

May you reach the end of this season with treasured memories of your own—moments when you lingered, laughed, and enjoyed the people beside you. As you make room for joy in the lives of others, remember to make room for it in yours.

Tish Striegel is a Children’s Pastor at Hill City Church in Southern Indiana, just outside Louisville, Kentucky, with over 25 years of experience helping kids discover who they are and how deeply they’re loved. She is passionate about encouraging leaders and families with the reminder that God is always good and always near. She’s a writer, speaker, mentor, and creator who loves strong coffee and conversations.