Day 1 | An Unhurried Christmas

The Joy of Peace

Dear Friends,

Welcome to Day 1 of our journey through the 12 Days of Christmas Joy! As we dive into this season together, today’s devotional invites us to consider an unhurried Christmas. Carly Mainland’s beautiful poem, An Unhurried Christmas, brings our attention to slowing down and seeing Jesus not just as the newborn Savior, but as God’s gift of peace in our daily lives.

Whether you’re in the midst of joyful celebration or carrying a heavy heart, let today’s message guide you toward a peaceful pace, drawing closer to the heart of Jesus.

Encouraging you in God’s truth,

P.S. As you read, feel free to share today’s reflection with someone who could use a moment of peace and encouragement this season.

An Unhurried Christmas

By: Carly Mainland

When I think of Christmas, what do I see?
God invites me to come and consider a tree— 
Not the shiny and plastic, stars hung with care,
but the rugged and bloody, 
where His body hung bare.

“Consider this tree, where I hung and died,”
He whispers in quiet, where I tend to hide.
He whispers in slow, unhurried places. 
He invites me to come, 
fill my life with these spaces— 

With moments and margins, 
with room for His voice,
with quiet and slow, to reflect on His choice
to come down to Earth 
from His place up above, 
to be born in a manger, committed to love.

He came fragile, dependent, 
He came weak and small.
He was vulnerable, helpless,
to be like us all.
He was a small child, and then a young man—
He took His time growing 
in God’s perfect plan.

If Jesus was able to move at God’s pace, 
I wonder why I’m always in such a race?
Each step in His life was filled with intention 
while I wander about, struggling in tension. 
Does God have a meaning 
for this season and pain? 

When I look in His Word, I find Jesus saying 
that though we face trouble, 
He’s provided a comfort.
His presence, His Spirit, 
He has lovingly offered 
to walk through our troubles 
and pain, never leaving
us on our own, in our sorrows and grieving.

Even Christ everlasting, both God and a man, 
shed tears and wrestled with His Father’s plan. 
He cried out in agony 
and spent hours praying,
expressing the pain 
that often comes in obeying. 

He cares for our questions 
and stays by our sides 
so we can run to our Father, 
forgetting to hide.

Because Christ walked perfectly
as a man in God’s will, 
He can walk us through life, 
though our pain remains real. 
He can walk us through illness, 
through joy, and through loss.
He can walk us through victory— 
and with our own cross,
He is always there to carry our load,
but we need to surrender 
to the pace on His road.

If we travel through life 
too quickly, distracted, 
we might never see all the ways He is active.
We might never see how He fights and defends,
how His love’s always working, 
never reaches its end.

We need to slow down, 
hear His comforting words
even when they come quietly, 
or we’re not sure we heard.
It’s in moments of stillness, choosing to listen
that we find His companionship so freely given.

Jesus came from above for you and for me
to a manger, a ministry, 
to hang on a tree.
God’s granted us all every breath in our lungs.
At least for today, we can look to His Son,
the beginning and end, 
sharing life in the middle. 
In the Prince of Peace’s kingdom,
His request is quite simple,

“Join me today, with me by your side.
Follow how I walked through the world in this life.
Surrendered, unhurried, patient, available,   
It finished on the cross and began in a stable.” 

Jesus says He is with us, that He’s always there,
so slowing down and savoring Him
is my Christmas prayer.

Let this poem draw your heart into the season by reflecting on the life of Jesus, who came as a vulnerable baby in a manger to eventually die a terrible death on a cross—for you! Part of Christmas joy is experiencing His peace and presence in the midst of whatever is happening in your life—joys and sorrows alike. When you reflect on the tree of the cross along with the tree of Christmas, the manger crib, you’re invited to find a joy in Christ you could never have imagined. 

Grab some still moments this season and experience the joy God has waiting for you. He invites you to slow down, surrendering your hurried pace so you can intimately walk with Him. You’ll find that the lasting gift of joy doesn’t depend on perfect circumstances, but on the nearness of Jesus in every area of your life. 

This Christmas you can find joy in Jesus! 

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Read:

• John 15:11; Psalm 16:11; Isaiah 9:6 

Reflect:

• In what ways can I slow down this season to notice and experience the joy of God’s presence?

• How does Jesus’s intentional, unhurried life encourage me to seek joy beyond the distractions of the season?

• What burdens or worries am I carrying today that I need to surrender to God to experience His peace and joy?

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Lord, thank You for sending Jesus, for His humble arrival and His faithful life. I long for the joy that only You can provide—a joy that comes from knowing You are with me, even when life feels heavy. Help me to slow down this season, to notice Your presence, and to cherish every moment with You. I surrender my pace and my plans to You. Teach me to walk in step with You, finding joy in each moment and trusting in Your faithful love. Fill my heart with peace, and may Your joy be my strength today. Amen.