Photo Credit: Sophie Pope
The Greatest Gift
Reading Selection for December 14th
“Light to Warm Us”
Isaiah 9:2 (NLT) – “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.”
I love Ann Voskamp’s words from page 140 of today’s reading selection:
“It’s Christmas that dawns on you, and you only really believe in Christmas when you really live it. When you light a dark world and the unexpected places with a brave flame of joy; when you warm the cold, hopeless places with the daring joy that God is with us, God is for us, God is in us; when you are a wick to light hope in the dark – then you believe in Christmas. When you really believe in Christmas, you believe there is really hope for everyone. When you get Christmas, people get hope from you—they don’t lose it.
Unless you keep passing on the miracle of hope, you live like Christmas is a myth.”
The last line particularly resonates with me because the longer I live the more I am convinced that our behavior follows what we truly believe. I may say I believe something, but if my behavior reflects something else entirely then I am only lying to myself…I may even be able to deceive a few around me, but the One who searches the heart, He knows the truth. And He knows this Gospel He’s given is so much more than behavior management; it’s Life and it’s freedom.
If I am living like Christmas is a myth, if I am not passing on the miracle of hope, then I truly don’t believe at my core that the Messiah Himself came for me. I am not living as the beloved of God. I may want to believe, I may like the idea of it, I may even be able to pretend I believe, but until I fully believe I am only living in the shadow of truth, not in Truth Himself.
The Truth is that Love came down and gave us the Way back to our true Love. The Light of the world pierced my darkness and exchanged my existence for abundant Life on a cross. When I truly believe the Truth and choose to abide in Love then passing on the miracle of hope is simply bearing eternal fruit.
Passing on the miracle of hope isn’t a call to action it’s a call to belief. What do you believe? Does the gospel of Love, all things made new, resurrection Life seem too good to be true? Does it seem too risky to believe that there is only One Way, only One Truth?
In this season of Advent, in the anticipation of His coming for you—the Messiah, the Deliverer, the Savior—what do you believe?
graceFULLYunraveled 