Christmas is my favorite time of the year! A time to love others well because
we were so loved by God. I love the decorations, the food, the joy in children’s hearts. But what I enjoy most is celebrating Christ as
Savior and King of my life. But if we aren’t careful, we can let these trying times distract us from what Christmas is really about:
Sacrifice and love.

The mind is a working marvel and miracle of complexity, isn’t it? Have you ever just taken a moment to watch a toddler play? Or be amazed at how many brain functions are happening at one moment, ultimately allowing you to perform a certain task? How about the ability to laugh at one moment and minutes later feel sorrow or empathy or anger? It’s astounding. We can give our Creator thanks for this! 

In these past weeks and months I have found myself impacted by topics ranging from health issues to cultural differences, social justice to personal freedom. Our national environment is charged with an enormous amount of issues to process through and formulate understanding, both personally & corporately. For myself this has been a time to do a lot of listening, thinking, praying & reading. I’m taking the time to peel back the layers that define me–what I believe and how I view the world.

If you have had the opportunity in these last few weeks to be on a video conference call with a company that rhymes with “boom,” you might have added a virtual background to your personal screen during the session.  The pre-designed backgrounds, of which there are many, help place you in a setting which conveys part of your personal creativity. It also depicts your longing for somewhere you’d like to be, other than stuck at home. 

One of my greatest joys in life is to be able to use the gift of writing to share lessons from God’s Word. I love to spend time hearing what it is God is saying in His Word & writing to relay to you, the reader, what His message is in this particular moment.  Isn’t it telling of the God we serve, to position men and women who’ve been so gifted to be used to share knowledge we need to be victorious and free?

This past Christmas, my sister gifted me a plain metal bracelet with two words stamped on it: trust GOD. I wear it practically every day and it has been a great at-a-glance reminder to do just that. I have walked some tough roads these past few years, trusting God even when life has been hard. I have trusted Him for healing and deliverance for myself and others and He has shown Himself strong.  Although I’ve grown in faith, there are still instances when I fail to trust Him completely. I too easily choose to ignore the deeper trust He is calling me to.