THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7

Psalm 18:28 -You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.

Our life is insanely busy. Two parents with full-time jobs and three boys involved in numerous activities make for long days with very little down time. More often than not, we run out of energy at the end of the day before we run out of things that must be done. In those times when we are out of energy but have “miles to go before we sleep,” we must count on the Lord for strength. He must literally “keep our lamps burning.”

Even though there is even more to do at Christmas time, our family LOVES this time of year. Of course, there is the usual craziness of shopping, wrapping, school programs and parties, but by Christmas Eve those things are finished, and we can enjoy the magic of that night and the true meaning of Christmas. During the time between Christmas and the New Year, we get to take a break from school, and take extra time off work. We give to each other the extremely valuable gift of time—a gift our Lord would like to receive from us all year long!

As we celebrate the season of Christ’s birth, when life becomes even busier than usual, may we all find the time to look to our Savior to sustain us, and may we find time to quietly reflect on the significance of His birth, God’s ultimate gift to us, and allow Him to turn our darkness into light.

Jeff, Paula, Evan, Chase & Ben E.