Peace Hope Love Project

Another post on my heart today

What Is That SMELL? I’ve become more and more appreciative of tastes and smells this last year, especially as I’ve worked on my health habits, embracing meditation and relaxation for better mental health, and of…

Merry Christmas!
So is today the day that you pack up all the decorations now that Christmas is over? I hope not. I leave my tree and nativity up until Jan. 6th for Epiphany. Epiphany is a Greek word that means "appearing". For me, it's a reminder that the wonder of Jesus' birth "appeared" to the wise men, who were not Jewish or religious but had followed an astrological sign to find the newborn King named Jesus. And His "appearing" continues long after He was born over 2000 years ago.

It's easy to think we need to look for signs of hope in going to church, or changing bad habits, and making new resolutions. Or maybe we have been depending on the people in our lives to light the way. But perhaps we need to shift our focus to something deeper.

This year has been a year like no other and most of us feel like this tree without it's leaves in the winter. We feel we've been stripped of our foliage and exposed to the cold wind. We long to feel the warmth of the sun!

Take courage. Look up. The "son" has shone on you AGAIN and actually has never left you, even if it is hidden by clouds, or trees, or the darkness in the rotation of the earth. Can you see it? He is doing a new thing.

"Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland." - Isaiah 43:18-19

Hope springs up each Christmas but it doesn't have to get packed away just because Christmas is over. Jesus was born to be God WITH us. EVERY day. His light shines, APPEARING even in the darkness. Even when our trees are bare, and our wallets empty. Even in sickness, and health, and broken relationships. He is making a way in our "wasteland" as He shines His light on us to sprout a sprig of new LIFE.

We might feel like we are buried in the darkness, like a seed buried in the soil, but hold on. This season is temporary because He is making a way. I continually remind myself that IN the dark, I can reach out for God's hand who gives just enough light sometimes for me to see HIM. And that's all I need for one step at a time.

I love this thought also...sometimes when we are looking up for the "son" to shine on us it is easy to be blinded because it is so bright, but we can close our eyes and feel the warmth.

So don't pack Jesus away in a box with all the decorations and the remnants of Christmas. He will never leave you if you have invited Him into your heart and into your home. Ask Him to show Himself "appearing" in a real way this year. Look for Him shining in the darkness, behind the trees, hidden by the clouds, He's there. The earth rotates and the sun will shine again. Look up friends and allow yourself to be warmed by the "Son".

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12