“Emmanuel—God with us.” — Matthew 1:23 Every year I hear women sigh the same line: “I just can’t find Christmas this year.” Here’s the thing: Christmas is not hiding.We are just buried. Buried under expectations.Buried under hustle.Buried under everyone else’s needs and our own unrealistic standards. But Christmas is not found in the perfection of […]
“For God so loved the world…” — John 3:16 Love came in a way nobody expected—through a teenage girl, in a borrowed stable, under a sky full of exhausted shepherds. Jesus didn’t shout love from heaven; He came down and showed it. And here’s the comfort:You don’t have to go searching for Christmas love. It […]
“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” — Nehemiah 8:10 Joy is not the same as cheerfulness. Cheerfulness is what you paste on when Aunt Shirley asks why you’re still not using cloth napkins. Joy runs deeper. It’s not about things going perfectly. It’s about God being present. When the angel said, “I bring […]
“My peace I give to you.” — John 14:27 We rush through Christmas like we’re in the final lap of a reality show. Places to be! Gifts to wrap! Something in the oven that’s definitely burning! But peace isn’t found in the finishing. It’s found in the pausing. Mary had every reason to run—young, overwhelmed, […]
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul.” — Hebrews 6:19 Every year, December shows up like a surprise houseguest—even when we’ve known she was coming for eleven months. She brings joy, twinkle lights, peppermint mocha everything… and sometimes, if we’re honest, a whole lot of emotional clutter. But hope isn’t something we […]