Daily Devotional for December 20, 2013

Psalm 31:24
So be strong and courageous,
    all you who put your hope in the Lord!

 
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
 

Last night we attended Timothy’s pre-K Christmas program.  Children from three different classes (a 3-year-old pre-K group, and two classes of 4-and-5-year-olds) offered their renditions of familiar Christmas tunes.  Timothy’s group was one of the “older” ones, and they sang three tunes, “Jingle Bells”, “Christmas Colors”, and “Feliz Navidad”.
 
You never know what you will get with small children, and we were not disappointed.  The 3-year-olds were all dressed as angels… flowing white “robes” trimmed with silver tinsel… tinsel halos on their heads.  And each and every one of them sang well.  There were no “melt-downs”... no one looked frightened… all performed with strength and courage.
 
The second group contained about a half dozen 4-and-5-year-old boys and one little girl.  For the most part, they did well.  But one little boy was terribly upset.  He didn’t just cry… he sobbed.  And thankfully, someone came to his rescue and held him on the stage until this group completed their performance.
 
Then it was time for Timothy’s group. We did not know what to expect, but he did well… once he located his family in the audience.  We watched him walk down the aisle… searching every pew of the church sanctuary for us.  He was visibly concerned when he got to the stage, and we could see him mouth, “Where is my family?  I can’t find my family!”  We knew it would not go well if he didn’t locate us before the songs began.  And sure enough… he spotted us… and his face lit up as he smiled and waved and called out to us.  Then, he lifted his eyes to the ceiling, drew in a big breath, and heaved a giant sigh of relief.
 
To see such palpable consolation in that little boy just made me want to cry.  Timothy had put all of his hope in the love and support of his family.  He trusted them to be present for him… to observe him and encourage him in his performance…and he tried very hard to be strong and courageous.  And when he saw his mom, dad, grandmother, siblings… and his Aunt Debbie and Uncle Greg (who were surprise guests to him)…all of his fortitude and bravery were worth it!  He sang his little heart out…smiled, waved and gave a “thumbs up”… and even bowed at the end!
 
What about you?  Are you still seeking God as you walk down the “aisle of life”?  Are you wondering if God is there to support you?  Do you have hope that He is with you… meeting your needs and cheering you on?  Does God undergird everything you do?  Is He present in your life in a tangible, profound way?  Have you exhaled that all-important sigh of relief as you inhaled God’s goodness and power over your life?  Isn’t it time to do exactly that?
 
©2013 Debbie Robus

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