So happy to have you join me for Day 5 of the 7 Days of Christmas, a fun week of stories, thoughts, and scripture leading up to Christmas Day. May your blessings outweigh your stressings as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Click on the subscribe button to automatically receive tomorrow’s post.
“Let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God’s presence. Let them be filled with joy.” (Psalm 68:3 NLT)
Last December, Dr. Katie, my veterinarian friend, was puzzled about the mysteriously ill dog just brought into her clinic. Dr. Katie hung the pooch’s X-rays up to study the contents of his stomach. Something peculiar caught her eye.
“Does that look like a camel to you?” Dr. Katie asked her assistant.
“As a matter of fact, it does,” the gal replied. “And there’s an angel, a shepherd, and Baby Jesus himself.”
At that moment, the phone rang. It was the dog’s owner. “I just noticed my manger scene on the coffee table – it’s empty!”
This interesting technique for internalizing the true meaning of Christmas (ha!) got me thinking. Can people see the core-deep joy that radiates from my innards when I think of the incredible gift Papa God sent the world in His son, Jesus?
Is my immeasurable gratitude evident as I dash through this hectic season scurrying to get everything done and reserve enough energy to hold my head up at the end of the day? My joy is obscured by mounds of clutter; grateful ness is sucked out of my soul y the vacuum called urgency.
I’m afraid I’m often too busy to allow my outside to reflect my inside sufficiently enough for nonbelievers to recognize that I may view the celebration of Christmas differently than they do … all because of the hope that is within me.
Today’s verse is my Christmas season prayer – that I would make the time to rejoice, be glad in God’s presence, and let my inner joy shine outward for all to see.
Will you make this prayer your own?
Prayer for today: 
Precious Jesus, Shine through me to those who may be quietly desperate to know the Giver of true joy.
*Excerpted from my 365-day devotional, Too Blessed to be Stressed: Inspiration for Every Day.
(Click on the title to place your order and begin each day of 2018 with snippets of biblical truth, gift-wrapped in humor.)
Debbie,
I wonder how many “manger pieces” have been swallowed by pets and small children over the years! Great illustration to think about taking in the true meaning of the Advent season and remembering the true meaning of Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
Yeah, I wonder how many small manger scene pieces were not missed until they appeared in another less majestic form in a pile on the lawn.