Well, Christmas has come and gone again, and you’ve survived. No matter if you had good family times, bad family times, no family times, too much activity, too little activity, stress or no, you’ve survived. For some of you it will be “another year before I have to see those people again” or “next year we’re cutting back on gifts” or that kind of thing. For others it’s more like “what a pleasant time we had” or even “I didn’t expect it to be as nice as it was.” Or how about “well, there goes another year and another holiday season.”

Whether or not you’re glad it’s over, it IS over and you’ve made it through. Now we have just a few more days to contemplate the end of the year 2004 and to finish anything that we’ve wanted to do this year but haven’t.

The message of Christmas is one of peace and of reconciliation, between people and also between people and God. It is my hope and prayer that you may appropriate that peace and make it real in your life, in every sense. For some, that is more of a struggle than for others, but I challenge you to examine your life and look at relationships that need reconciliation and to TAKE CARE OF THAT BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. That may be extremely difficult for you, but you know what your life is like and what your relationships are like. God’s message to us through Christmas is reconciling us to God and to each other, and it is our responsibility to act on that and to at least attempt reconciling any relationships in our lives that need it.

Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray for all who read my blog, that you will give them the sensitivity to see the relationships in their lives that need to be reconciled, whether with You or with others. Please fill them with your grace and your Spirit, giving them the boldness and the words to say to take action and to spread your spirit of reconciliation by working on their relationships that need it–first, their relationship with You, their Creator and the Lord of all, and then also with the people in their lives. Knowing that this is in accordance with Your will, because You have communicated it to us through Your Word, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Current music: Jack Jones’ Christmas