Rays Of Hope
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“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
November usually brings less sunshine and more gloom to the weather which tends to affect our mood and energy level. I received a ray of hope and sunshine this past week in several ways. First, my niece, Raya, spent the afternoon with me. Her name is Raya Hope, and she is a ray of hope in how she loves life. Her energy is boundless, and her creativity and conversation are delightful. We baked cookies, and she skillfully and with great detail, decorated the cookies. A hug from Raya is like touching hope!
Then, we walked through the Christmas Fantasy of Lights at the local park. They open the park for people to walk through the light display and experience the beauty of the season through lights. For me, the ray of hope came through the lights of the nativity displayed throughout the park. It also came in the faces of the children who were mesmerized by the lights.
A ray of hope rang our doorbell recently. When I answered the door, there stood my neighbor and her young daughter who was full of joy and smiles. They had made a gift for me. It was a beautiful ornament for our Christmas tree. She was so excited to share this gift with me. It is proudly displayed front and center on our Christmas tree.
As I sat in my living room, a ray of sunshine came through the gloom of the day. It was as if a spotlight had been placed on my Precious Moments Nativity set and the sun beam lit up the stable with baby Jesus. My niece, Raya, had been rearranging the scene and placed all the figurines in the tiny stable. It was crowded but everyone was close to Jesus. She wanted everyone to fit in the stable and be around the baby. This gave me another ray of hope. Is that not what God wants for all of us to be as close to Jesus as possible?
Rays of hope come to us out of the darkness of the day or our hearts. Hope is the glimmer of light that reflects into the darkest recesses and for a moment fills us with a sense that life is good. Hope is like reaching into the darkness and trusting that God is there even when we do not see or feel His abiding presence.
As we enter the Advent Season and make plans to celebrate Christmas, hope needs to be central in our thoughts. Jesus comes into the darkness of our broken and fallen world and brings hope. Our world is divided, and the negativity is expressed constantly in all media. Your personal life may have been shattered because of loss, illness, changes, and hurt from others. You may be wondering how to take a step into this brokenness. Hope is not denying all of this is around you. Hope is changing your focus and looking for the rays that break through the darkness of life.
Jesus comes as a baby to become like us and to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. But I believe he also comes as a baby because a baby bring hope – a ray of hope. We tend to smile when a child smiles and see the beauty in the simple aspects of life. Hope is focusing not on the world and its glitter and tinsel this season, but that God loves you and me so much that God came to earth in the form of a baby to be with us. To be our ray of hope.
You are not alone in this season. Jesus is God with us. It is reaching out in the darkness of your life and heart and trusting that God will take your hand and walk you through and sometimes carry you. Look for rays of hope – moments that make you smile and lighten your burden. Moments that remind you there is good in this world and good people around you. Moments when you experience the presence of God with you. Emmanuel – God is with us.
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You will find all my past blogs on my website – www.livinginthedifferent.com
My Books on Amazon
Live Different Moments
Living In The Different
https://www.amazon.com/Living-Different-passages-through-sorrow/dp/0998310239/
Life Lessons of a Lone Trooper
https://www.amazon.com/Life-Lessons-Lone-Trooper-Legacy/dp/0998310255/
