Skip Orem (03:00):

Close your eyes now and begin to let yourself relax. And then as you let yourself relax, begin to take some deep breaths. Deep breaths in, and then out. Deep breaths and then exhale. And as you do this, deep breaths in and then out, begin to clear your mind of everything that’s going on right now. Clear your mind and let out all of that tension, let that worry and any bad thoughts, go out with the breath. Perhaps right now you’re having some worry and concern about everything that’s going on right now during this holiday season. Everything seems to be moving so fast and still so much to do. Recognize those feelings, and then for a few minutes, send them away. Try to clear everything out of your mind as you breathe in and out.

And think about this, there are really so many joyous things about this holiday season. Of course the most important, celebrating the birth of Jesus. But also this is the time for greeting old friends, being with family, As you continue to breathe in and out, recognize and accept, that of course sometimes this holiday season can be so overwhelming. But today, right now as you take in deep breaths and then breathe out, you’re making a conscious choice to clear your mind for just a few minutes and relax.:

As you are choosing right now to breathe out your worries and your tension, for a few minutes, your mind is becoming clear and empty. And hopefully for just a few minutes, you will allow yourself to have a very special Christmas blessing, of complete and total stillness.

Deep breaths in, tension, bad thoughts and worry out. Breathe them away with your exhale. And think for a second about something that the Apostle Paul wrote so very long ago, and honor Paul’s words as you breathe in and out and clear your mind and prepare for your meditation. This is God’s word. Philippians 4:8, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is an excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think now only about these things.”

And especially now at this Christmas season, think about the gift God gave us, the birth of his son Jesus Christ. Think about the holiness of that gift from God. The magnitude of that gift on your life, and appreciate this special gift that was given to you. Think only about these things now as you begin to clear your mind of everything else, slowly breathing in and sending your breath to all of the parts of your body where there may be soreness or tension, that new, clear, warm air cleansing your body of tension and then sending it away as you breathe out. Deep cleansing and clearing breaths in, worry, tension and soreness out.

Let’s begin this special time with a prayer from Psalms. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your side oh Lord. You are my rock and my Redeemer.” Feel right now, God helping your body to begin to relax, your mind clear of worry and bad thoughts, and cherish taking this time away for yourself. And begin to enjoy actively participating in clearing and refocusing your mind. Choosing now to focus on thoughts and images that will refresh, energize and revitalize you in a way that will allow you to enjoy, and truly celebrate the birth of Jesus during this holiday season.

Imagine now that you are totally comfortable. Those bad thoughts, that worry, that tension, put aside for now. And you’re discovering that just by imagining this, you are actually becoming very relaxed. Think about how nice it is right now, that for just a few minutes, you are free of worry. And think about how wonderful it is to know that right now, you are giving yourself this time to let your mind and your body relax and refresh, free of worry and tension. And know that by spending these minutes with your mind clear, you will actually gain new energy. Which will allow you to enjoy and appreciate this Christmas season. And know that it will also enhance your ability to welcome in all of the new Christmas memories, that you will create this year.

And yes, congratulate yourself for choosing to become actively involved, relaxing your mind so that you can fully experience the wonders of this Christmas season. Because by actively choosing to take this time right now to relax and to clear your mind, to let go of your stress, you are in fact enhancing your health and your wellbeing. You are sending this message to the tension, to the worry, to the bad thoughts that you might feel during this Christmas season, you are saying this and you mean it. “This is my Christmas holiday. I choose to enjoy the celebration of Jesus’ birth. I choose to enjoy being with family and friends. And I choose to see God in every one I come in contact with. I choose to give them my love. Worry, tension, bad thoughts and bad memories, it’s time for you to go, and you will be removed from my mind.”

As you are feeling more and more relaxed, think about a place, either real or imaginary. A place maybe that you used to go or somewhere where you have always wanted to be. A place that makes you feel good and safe and at peace. And imagine this place becoming more and more real to you in every way. Look around your magic place to the left, and then to the right and enjoy what you see. Take in the entire scene of this place. This wonderful place that, well, it feels so peaceful to you. And now begin to experience and feel whatever it is that you’re lying on or sitting against. Perhaps it’s a beach in the sand. Or maybe the summer grass, or leaning against a favorite old tree.

And as you continue to imagine this place, you begin to hear the sounds. Perhaps the waves rolling in, or the sound of birds in the air. Or the sounds of children playing off in the distance. Whatever sounds or smells or feelings that you remember from this special, wonderful, magical place of yours, hear them, see them, feel them, smell them. Let them surround you. Maybe you feel the summer air or a gentle breeze, or maybe the warmth of the sun as it warms you, or the slight chill of autumn. Maybe it’s the smell of a fire warming you in the winter. Let your skin begin to feel this wonderful magical place of yours. Notice now how you are feeling so thankful for that safety, beauty and the comfort of this place. How happy you are to be here right now in your special place.

You’re beginning to feel what’s happening. A kind of well, a kind of tingling in the air. Even something that makes you feel somewhat excited. A feeling maybe you have not had for a long time. A feeling that something wonderful, something you want and needs so much is about to happen. You are sure now that there’s magic in this place. And you know God is with you in this place. And you know that as it’s written in Psalms, “God will watch over your coming and going. Not only now, but for ever more.” He is here for you now in this place. And he will watch and love and care for you now at this moment, during this holiday season, and for forever. You know that in your heart. You know that God wants you to be strong and courageous, not frightened or dismayed. Not full of bad memories, tension and worry.

And you know that God loves you. Feel his love wash over you. And you begin to smile as you recognize that for a while, you may not have had this feeling. You know now that there is certainty in God’s love and in this special place of yours, and that something amazing is about to happen. And you notice that somewhere high above you, a small ray of light is shining down and it’s brightening a circle. A circle just in front of you. A bright, an intense ray of light highlighting all the wonderful colors and beauty in the special place of yours. And you know immediately, this light is God’s love.

You can actually feel the area around you illuminated with God’s love. And this circle of God’s love it begins to widen. And it starts to include more and more of your special place. This light is now giving everything it covers in your special place, a bright, new, magical beauty, crisp and clear. This is God’s love shining down on you. As this light, God’s love, as it warms you and gives you so much peace, it also seems to be energizing you. As it might even start to make your skin tingle. Especially where those areas of tension may have rested in your body. The light it is magically removing tension, stress, and tightness from all parts of your body. God’s everlasting love through this light, is giving you strength. It’s clearing out and destroying bad memories. Worry, anxiety, sadness, cleansing you and taking them away.

You can actually feel God’s love expanding your heart, like a flower opening to the sun. And this now fully open heart of yours, like a flower releasing its fragrance, your heart is releasing gratitude, forgiveness, and love into the air. And suddenly you realize that you’re not alone, that there is a powerful presence within you. And you know immediately that is God’s love. The grace given by his son and the Holy Spirit are always within you. They are alive and guiding your light. Right now you remember, you appreciate the real true meaning of Christmas. The birth of Jesus, the gift of God’s son

given to you. What peace, what joy, what excitement. You know this, you can see it in your special

place. You feel it through the warm light of God’s love shining on you now and forever.

And during this Christmas season, you know now that you will have the joy of showing that love to everyone you come in contact with. And as you are there in your special place covered warmed and energized by the light of God’s love, you begin to hear these affirmations coming through the light. Perhaps you even whisper them to yourself. “Listen and believe. I know that I am surrounded by the protection and support of God’s love for me. I plan to connect more deeply to God’s love, and to allow his love to guide my life. God’s love will continue to nourish my mind and my spirit, not only during this Christmas season, but throughout my life. I choose to let go of things that I cannot control, and focus on God’s love for me. I know now that without fear, anxiety, and sadness, I can live the truth of who I am, a child of God.’.

You know now that bad feelings, old hurts, resentments, they are all being destroyed by the power of this light of God’s love for you. Old griefs, fears, sadness, anger, guilt, distress and pain are being destroyed and wiped from your body and from your mind. Old pain, old judgments, old disappointments, cleared from your mind, giving you the freedom you need to enjoy this Christmas season.

Your mind is now more spacious and open. Your body is so much stronger than it has ever been. So much new room now in your spirit, for joy, for love, gratitude and for peace. God is giving you this time, this message, these tools to make all this happen. Your true nature alive again. And you can now sense this total shift in your mind and your body. This new excitement. Knowing you’ve got this, all is in God’s hands. He created you, and he’s smiling at you now so proud, of you and your new found strength and confidence.

And with this new found strength, grace, ease and energy, you are certain that you are going to be able to experience the wonderful enjoyment and joy, of spending Christmas with your friends and family. Able to see yourself well and excited. Your body at full strength. Ready to take on life and enjoy all that God has given you. You always really knew that God had been with you all along. Perhaps you just hadn’t fully appreciated it. You just needed this gentle reminder. Remember, God is always with you.

And now feeling so peaceful, knowing that God’s light is within you and that this special place is here for you, whenever you need to visit, to relax and refocus your thoughts. Whenever you want to continue the work that you have already done.

As you look around one final time at your special place, you know and you feel that something powerful has taken place. A major shift has occurred. You thank God for what he has done for you, and you thank him for the peace of knowing, that everything is in God’s hands.

As you continue to breathe in and out, relaxed and at peace, ready to take on whatever challenges lay ahead. Now with your renewed strength, whenever you’re ready, slowly begin to open your eyes and come back into the room. And rest assured, knowing that you have done [inaudible 00:26:49] healing work, that you have and you’re better for this.