Christian Devotionals and Scripture Applied to Everyday Life

Deck the halls with boughs of holly! It’s that season again - the time when stores, houses, and streets are twinkling with lights, strewn with pine-scented garlands, and bursting with the energy of the Christmas season. That is why I visited Wickline’s Garden Center today. Since I am a little "decoration challenged," I needed some advice on sprucing up the entrance to our office and I was not disappointed. The helpful attendants gave me numerous suggestions and promised to supply all I would need to complete the task. The porch pots sitting by our door will look better than they ever have when I am finished.

The holidays are a time of gathering. Throughout the world families celebrate special events and days together. It can be a time of happiness and a time of sadness as loved ones reflect on the gifts God has given them and the difficulties they have been through. But for those whose eyes are fixed on Jesus Christ the holidays are a time to tighten our grasp on our sure hope of eternal life. Wow! What a week! We worked up until the last minute and waited with anticipation the arrival of family members who celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday with us. We ate. We laughed. We stayed up late watching movies. We talked. We held our newest family member, cousin Verity. We played games. We ice skated. We raked leaves. We enjoyed. Yet there was sadness too.

How much money is enough? For many citizens of the United States seeking to fulfill the American dream of success and prosperity, the answer is “just one more dollar.” But is this really a delicious dream or a nightmare? In a materialistic world filled with television commercials advertising the newest and best, there just never seems to be enough money to spend. So from a very young age Americans seek for ways to gain wealth. Even during the Thanksgiving season many are more focused on Black Friday shopping sprees and Christmas gifts than on being thankful for what they already have. Contentment has no place in our society.

Thanksgiving is a time to consider our blessings. This should be our attitude all year long, but since 1863 our country has celebrated this holiday in response to a proclamation made by President Abraham Lincoln. He declared a national holiday to be held on the last Thursday of November to "praise our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens." Every good and perfect gift we have received has come from the Father of lights. He gives us life. He gives us family and friends. He gives us homes, clothing, and food to eat. He provides for us physically and emotionally. And He has made a way for us to have a relationship with Him through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are certain things you just want to hear over and over. When a special person pays you a compliment or declares their love, it bears repeating just for the sheer joy. Great Grandpa Thomson was partially deaf. When he was around fifty years old, doctors  discovered cancer in one of his ears. He had surgery that, thankfully, removed the source of the problem, but it left him hard of hearing on that side. Great Grandpa used this problem to his advantage. Whenever someone would say something nice about him, he would cock his head, cup his good ear and say, “Could you please repeat that, I didn’t quite hear what you said?” This became a humorous family joke over the years and it always brought a good laugh.

Most of the time when we are doing something wrong we know it! Just passing a county sheriff parked along the side of the road reminds me that I have a tendency to drive too fast, especially when I’m late. But other times there are things we do wrong that we don’t even realize. Certain attitudes and thought processes become so ingrained that they seem natural. Unless they are exposed they will continue on unnoticed by the perpetrator. We have been having our house’s siding replaced. We didn’t realize how overdue our remodeling was until our contractor removed the old siding. Underneath were rotting boards that had been deteriorating from exposure to wind and weather. No wonder the house was losing a lot of heat in the dead of winter! Thankfully, our talented carpenter/handyman is correcting this problem (Thank you, Ryan Stover!).