Applying The Atonement by Mara of A Blog About Love

(This is a guest post written by Mara of A Blog About Love. Mara blogs about infertility, marriage, divorce, living in New York City, Faith, Fashion and so much more. Her blog is spoken in such honesty. I adore her and I know you will too.)

Breathe, breathe, breathe.......

Is anyone feeling the holidays caving in on them?

Parties.  What to wear.  Last minute gifts.  Events to fit in.  Babysitters to find.  Crafts to complete.  Treats to make & deliver.  House guests to plan for.  Meals to prepare.  Luggage to pack.  Flights to take with babies.  And making sure that all your loved ones feel loved.

I actually felt a smidget of this holiday stress myself tonight.  I sure did.  

So how do I keep Christ in Christmas?

I do it the same way I try to remember Christ every single day of the year....

I try to turn around all negative emotions.  And I'm talking about the ones in my heart.  Cause those are the ones that matter......such as.....

-Fear of never getting pregnant.

-Anxiety about justifying not working full-time right now.

-Stress that creeps in when I don't accomplish all that I want to do in one day.

-Feeling bad because I haven't really even decorated for Christmas this year. :)

-Wondering if I can pull off a big party at my house this weekend.

Every thought or feeling in our heart either blocks the oneness with Christ or allows us to vibrate with His same light.  I finally decided to start practicing turning all my negative thoughts around into love, hope, faith & charity....and I've done it.  If you think hard enough, you can do it, too...doesn't matter how great the trial.  And it's through the Atonement of Christ that we even have the opportunity to turn things around again and again and again.  By some miracle, a few years ago at the lowest point in my life, I figured this out.  I consciously started applying the Atonement and I haven't stopped since.  Doing this has helped me to face 7 years of ongoing infertility, an unexpected divorce, the ups and downs of starting HARVEY FAIRCLOTH, and very challenging & unique circumstances associated with living & working in New York City.  I now know how to tap into the peace available to me at any given moment.  And every time I do so, I have the privilege of feeling more & more at one with Christ.  It has led to more happiness than I can even describe.  And one of the best side effects ever:  being in a place to meet & marry the most loving man I could imagine.

So during this Christmas season, when stress can be at an all-time high, I remind myself that the Atonement applies to this silly stress, too.  Ugh.  How ridiculous that we actually need to apply the Atonement because we are stressed out about celebrating His birth.  Ha!  :)  But, that is how beautiful the Atonement is.  It applies to everything.  It applies to all our weaknesses.  And by choosing to apply it, we can keep Christ in Christmas.....and in e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g that we do.

Merry Christmas to one & all!

Mara

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Make sure to visit Mara over at

A Blog About Love