Day Seven: The First Noel

Reading (by Erin Mashaw)
In general, most of us would agree that we feel like we can see things better during the day.

But, there’s a reason we always look at Christmas lights at night. You can definitely go during the day, but it’s a little anticlimactic, because the lights shine so much brighter in the darkness. And the darker the night, the more brightly they shine.

The same is true in life. When things are going well, it feels like we’ve got a good handle on things. We think we’re seeing clearly what matters most.

But it’s really when things get dark that we see and experience the nearness of Jesus the most. His light in our lives shines so much brighter when we’re lonely, when we’re faced with the impossible, and when we’re at the end of our rope.

Psalm 34:18 says: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Think about a time when you went through something really difficult, but you knew God was with you. Find a way to share the hope of your story with someone else this week.

Prayer:

“Heavenly Father, thank you for leaning in close when I’m hurting and things are difficult. Help me to remember that I can always trust you.”