It felt good to wake up to sunshine this morning. The days are so short that much of the daytime feels more like twilight, and then the night comes and lasts so long.
There are good things that come with this rhythm of nature. I tend to get more time to relax and spend time with Becky and the kids. These short days make me long for more in the coming year.
To be honest, Christmas tends not to be a spiritually significant time for me. I have times of closeness with God, but Christmastime usually isn’t one of them.
I will also be frank and say that my heart can grow cold in life. I wish it wouldn’t, but it does. It feels like our family room, early in the morning, when the house has chilled down in the night. I light a fire to warm things up, and even when the flames are burning, it still takes time for the room to wake up as it fills with warmth and eventually fills with light as the new day begins.
That’s what I need right now.
In Ephesians 5, Paul says: “Therefore, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine upon you and give you light.”
The more literal way to translate this is, “And Christ will make day dawn on you.”
That’s it. That’s what I need. It’s what we all need.
Darkness makes things grow cold, and I can dabble and waste time in the darkness. But, the dawning of Jesus, the daybreak of his light, warms us up and brings life.
But, for now? I’m rather cold inside and what I’ve just written isn’t real for me. It’s more like a whispered prayer. A prayer for healing and wholeness as fresh as daybreak. And, I think God understands.
That’s my hope and that’s my prayer for the coming days.
