Hope, Peace, Joy, Love and Christ

As I sit in the glow of lights from our tree I think back to Christmas time when I was a child.  As a kid I enjoyed the lights, the music and family gatherings and of course, the presents.  As I and my faith have grown I realize that Christmas is the time of year that I really began to connect with my faith.  As an adult in the mind and a kid at heart I still enjoy the lights, the music and the family gatherings…I now enjoy the giving of gifts far more than receiving.  Where we live I enjoy the snow (most years) and even the cold.  The change of season is natural, to me it is God showing us his love using nature.  All that was alive in summer has passed on but it will all be reborn in springtime. The world is covered in fresh new snow and we see angels in different forms everywhere.  Most of all it seems to be the one time of year that people actually live life at a slower pace and often take time to recognize Jesus Christ and his coming into the world.

At Christmas time I pray we see and feel a sense of…

Hope – God made a promise to you and everyone to love you and to never leave you…believe him and trust him with every area of your life.

Peace – Be content when your basic needs are fulfilled and share with others if you have been blessed with abundance…practice patience.

Joy – Wear a smile more often and make an effort to help others find their smile…focus on the positive as often as you can.

Love – Life is more about how you treat others than how they treat you…you can’t control what others will think, say or do so why waste time worrying about it…do all that you can do with love.

At Christmas time this year put Christ in the center of your life…with Christ you will know Hope, you will know Peace, you will know Joy and you will know that the Love of Christ in your heart will help you overcome anything this world can throw at you.

May we all see and know God’s blessings in our lives this Christmas and carry them with us all through the New Year!

Merry Christmas!