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Speaker 1: Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your Daily Prayer,

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Speaker 1: a podcast dedicated to helping you find the words you

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Speaker 1: need to connect with your Father in Heaven. No matter

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Speaker 1: what is going on in your life today, you can

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Speaker 1: trust that God wants to hear from you. Right after

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Speaker 1: this short word from our sponsor, people pray through today's

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Speaker 1: prayer for those struggling to find joy this Christmas Together.

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Speaker 1: A prayer for those struggling to find joy this Christmas,

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Speaker 1: written by Vivian Bricker, read by Kerrie Iiburger. Cast all

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Speaker 1: your anxiety on him because he cares for you first

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Speaker 1: Peter five, Verse seven. Year after year, Christmases do not

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Speaker 1: always feel the same. Sometimes they are filled with happiness,

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Speaker 1: at other times they are filled with sorrow. The first

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Speaker 1: Christmas I had to face without my mom was by

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Speaker 1: far the toughest Christmas I have ever gone through. My

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Speaker 1: whole family struggled, and none of us truly felt like celebrating.

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Speaker 1: As the years have gone by, I have noticed that

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Speaker 1: my love for Christmas has returned. In truth, it is

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Speaker 1: a way for me to remember all the traditions my

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Speaker 1: mom started and how much she loved the holiday herself.

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Speaker 1: Once I started reflecting on this. It helped me know

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Speaker 1: that I can enjoy Christmas again. It is the day

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Speaker 1: we celebrate the birth of our Savior. By celebrating christ

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Speaker 1: it helps bring our hearts back to the true meaning

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Speaker 1: of Christmas. Regardless of whatever pain we are going through

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Speaker 1: during the holidays, God is still present and he is

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Speaker 1: with us. We can celebrate His son even with heavy hearts.

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Speaker 1: The Lord is aware that sometimes Christmas won't be filled

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Speaker 1: with smiles, and that is okay. We can still lift

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Speaker 1: the Lord in praise and worship him amidst our, tears,

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Speaker 1: pain and struggles. I have continued to do this every year,

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Speaker 1: and it's not something I look at as a hasshole.

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Speaker 1: I am not forcing myself to worship God. Rather, I

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Speaker 1: genuinely want to worship the Lord because He is the

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Speaker 1: reason for the season, and without him I would be lost.

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Speaker 1: Due to his great love for us, he died for

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Speaker 1: our sins and now for all who plays faith in him,

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Speaker 1: we are given eternal life in his name. It is

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Speaker 1: because of Him that my mom lives in heaven, and

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Speaker 1: it is because of Him that we will live in

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Speaker 1: heaven with him too. We have everything to praise and

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Speaker 1: thank the Lord for. Yet we often forget these things

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Speaker 1: when times are hard. Bring all these fears, worries, and

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Speaker 1: pain to him today and allow him to lift you up.

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Speaker 1: The Apostle Peter tells us, cast all your anxiety on

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Speaker 1: him because he cares for you. All the weariness in

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Speaker 1: your soul. This Christmas needs to be given over to

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Speaker 1: the Lord. Cast it on him as though you were

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Speaker 1: casting a net out to see. Allow him to embrace

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Speaker 1: you and comfort you as nobody else can. Christmas can

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Speaker 1: feel heavy for many reasons, yet the Lord still wants

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Speaker 1: us to have joy in our hearts. This doesn't mean

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Speaker 1: we will be bursting with happiness, but it does mean

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Speaker 1: we will have his lasting joy. Talk with him about

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Speaker 1: your pain, and don't be afraid to be real, honest

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Speaker 1: and row with your emotions. No emotion is too big

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Speaker 1: or too strong for the Lord. He has been with

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Speaker 1: us through the darkest of nights, and he will continue

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Speaker 1: to bring hope into our hearts. Let's pray, Dear Jesus,

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Speaker 1: Christmas this year is feeling quite heavy. At times. I

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Speaker 1: am overwhelmed to the point of tears. Moreover, I fear

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Speaker 1: at times that it is more than I can carry.

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Speaker 1: I am casting all my cares on you this Christmas,

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Speaker 1: and I ask that you provide me with hope, serenity

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Speaker 1: and solace. Knowing your presence is with me is better

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Speaker 1: than life, and I know it will bring hope back

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Speaker 1: to my bones. I rejoice amidst my tears this year

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Speaker 1: because I know you are still good and I would

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Speaker 1: be nothing without you. Help me remember this truth at

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Speaker 1: Christmas and throughout the upcoming year. I will praise you forever. Lord, Amen.

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Speaker 1: Your Daily Prayer is a production of Life Audio and

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